A Borrowing of Bones
by landofthegolden
Summary: After the death of her mother, Caroline decides to leave her life in Mystic Falls and move to Chicago for a fresh start. She moves in with Katherine, Elena's older sister, and together they embark on a journey of newfound friendship. Unexpected entanglements with the Mikaelson brothers teach them how to heal the wounds of their past and let someone else into their hearts. AU/AH.
1. Prologue

**Prologue****  
**

Caroline Forbes hovered silently over the mahogany casket housing her mother's pale body clothed in formal police attire. Caroline stood tall in her sleeveless black dress, her blonde hair let down in waves with the top half pinned delicately to the back. The casket was being held in the chapel's side wing, slightly hidden to the mourners in the main area who had arrived to the ceremony early.

Her eyes detachedly focused on her mother's white-gloved hands folded atop her body, not having the strength to look at the lifeless face which now replaced the warm one that was once so comforting to her. She made an effort to channel her energy into bracing her shoulders and keeping her back rigid, finding it to be the only way to keep herself from crumbling to the floor. Everything they had built together, the contented life they had finally achieved—it was all gone quicker than it had lasted.

It had been a long year of hospital visits and tiresome treatment. Having graduated from the University of Virginia nearly two years before, she had moved back home to Mystic Falls, Virginia after being offered a job as assistant project manager at Lockwood+Perry, an architecture, interior and urban design, and project management firm based in Richmond, only a half hour drive from Mystic Falls. Carol Lockwood, wife to the Mystic Falls mayor, and who also happened to be the mother of her former high school sweetheart, Tyler, had gotten her the position at her firm.

It was convenient since it allowed her to move back in with her mother, the town sheriff. Both of their work schedules kept them busy, but living together made it easier to rekindle their previously-distant relationship. It had been a year before they had found out the horrible news. Liz had been growing more and more tired before she finally decided to make time for a doctor's appointment. It was after the tests were run and the results were delivered that the trajectory of their lives took on a dramatic shift for the worse. And so it was thus that Caroline found herself here, numbed to the bone and struggling to maintain the glue that had a tentative hold on the pieces of her heart.

"Caroline."

Caroline lifted her head to see Elena Gilbert standing a few feet ahead of her, clad in a black, capped-sleeve dress and with one arm holding her black winter coat to her side. Elena's dark brown eyes held her gaze, attempting to decipher Caroline's passive face, before Caroline slowly turned her head back down to once again stare at her mother's folded hands.

Elena briefly shifted her focus to look at the casket, the open lid blocking her view of the body lying in it, before turning back to look at Caroline. She took a deep breath and set her coat and the purse she held beneath it down on the nearest pew before making her way over to her best friend. She steadily walked towards Caroline, her heels clacking methodically as she came around to stand behind her. With her fingers, she brushed Caroline's long tresses to the left before circling her arms around her friend's considerably smaller waist from behind and setting her chin down on Caroline's right shoulder. Caroline held her rigid posture for a few moments before allowing herself to relax into Elena's embrace. She took a long breath while simultaneously crossing her arms across her waist to tightly hold onto Elena's arms. For the first time since getting dressed for the funeral in the morning, Caroline allowed the tears to fall and betray her passive features.

"I never expected it to turn out like this," Caroline breathed softly through her tears. The uneven sound of her voice conveyed her utter brokenness.

"I know," Elena replied gently, moving her cheek closer to Caroline's.

"It was just us, but we were finally _happy_!" Caroline continued, the upturn of her voice revealing the slightest hints of hysteria. "She's all I had. She's all I've ever had and now she's gone. Oh God," she finally sobbed, "now she's gone." Tilting her head back to let it rest in the crook of Elena's neck, she looked upwards and closed her eyes. Her cries broke through and her chest heaved as she sobbed, "She's gone. She's gone. Oh God, Elena! She's really gone!" Elena tightened her grip on Caroline's waist as her own tears silently fell at seeing her friend fall apart before her. "I'm all alone!" Caroline cried. "I've got no one left!" she exclaimed as her body was wracked with uncontrollable sobs.

Breaking free of Elena's hold on her, she rushed forward to kneel before the casket, staring straight at her mother's peaceful face. "Don't leave me, Mom! Oh please don't leave me here alone, Mom!" she weeped desperately. "I can't do this without you! You weren't supposed to leave me like this!" Her sobs were loud now and she felt tragically unconsolable.

Upon hearing the commotion, Matt Davis, her hometown friend since birth, and Katherine, Elena's older sister, rushed in to see Caroline's shaking frame over her mother's body. Katherine looked to Elena, who appeared teary-eyed and grief-stricken at the sight before her. She turned her gaze back on Caroline, faintly hearing the girl whisper "come back to me, Mommy" before laying her cheek down on her mother's chest.

Matt moved forward to encircle Caroline in his arms, picking her up off the ground. She didn't put up a fight as he delicately maneuvered her away from the casket. She also didn't respond when he began whispering words of comfort into her hair as she laid her cheek against his chest, staining his dress shirt with her uncontrollable tears. Her hands tightly clung to the lapels of his suit jacket as he rocked her gently.

Katherine and Elena both stepped forward to stand on either side of Caroline as Matt continued to hold her firmly. They both rubbed her arms and back in soothing circles as her tears gradually subsided.

After a short while, Caroline took a deep breath, wiping the remnants of her tears, and stepped back from her friends' embrace. Avoiding their gazes and choosing, instead, to stare down as she smoothed her dress, she said determinedly, "I'm fine, now. It's over. I'll be fine, now." Taking one last breath, she gathered herself together and walked towards the chapel for the funeral service, bound to begin in a few minutes, leaving her friends to stare after her in sympathetic silence.

* * *

The service and procession passed in a haze of sentimentality and despair. The service was probably beautiful, she assumed, though she had paid attention to none of it. As they had lowered the casket into the ground, she had the vague realization that the last of her family was now dead: her father first to a car crash a few years after the divorce and now her mother to cancer. She was truly alone now.

The wake was held afterwards at the Mystic Grill. It was teeming with people she'd grown up with and others she barely recognized. They were all there to pay their respects and say their goodbyes, but she couldn't help but feel stifled. So she quietly slipped away from the crowd and grabbed her coat and scarf from the rack by the door. She shrugged the coat on, wrapped her scarf snugly around her neck, and grabbed her purse. She made her way outside only to be assaulted by the frigid February air. She hurriedly walked down the steps, ready to walk the two blocks back home.

"Leaving so early?" she heard behind her. She turned back around to see Katherine wrapped in her coat, leaning up against the wall, and puffing on a cigarette.

"Since when do you smoke?" asked Caroline. Katherine was three years older than her and Elena, having moved away to college before a real friendship could develop between the two.

"Since all of this death is giving me anxiety," she responded. Caroline inwardly bristled at her careless mention of death. Any other person, especially today, would have been careful with their words. Not Katherine, apparently—always brazen and always unaffected.

Katherine and Elena's parents had died in a car crash on Wickery Bridge during high school. Their Aunt Jenna was left with the daunting task of caring after the girls and their younger brother, Jeremy. While Elena's heartbreak had mended itself in time, taking away none of her softness and optimism, Katherine's grieving process had been quite the opposite. Her heart hardened, its previously existing cracks becoming more pronounced and nearly unfixable. She had chosen to shut herself off rather than give in to her tragic reality, and it was thus that she paved the rest of her life away from her hometown. Caroline hadn't seen her in two years, since her and Elena's graduation from UVA, Katherine preferring to stay as far away from Mystic Falls for as long as possible. Though it was true that a demanding career as a business agent in Chicago kept her busy and away, it was never a secret that Katherine detested her hometown and the memories it holds.

"Why are you leaving so early?" Katherine asked again, not entirely oblivious to Caroline's sensitive reaction to her previous statement.

"I think I'll suffocate if I have to stay here for one more minute," replied Caroline. "I want to go home. I just want some peace."

"I'm coming with you."

"No. No, please." Caroline lifted her hand signaling for Katherine to stop. "I've been surrounded by people all day today and yesterday and the day before that. I want to be alone, Kat, please" she said, using the girl's intimate nickname to emphasize the desperation in her plea.

"Fine," Katherine responded, stepping forward to stand in front of Caroline, the cigarette still held between the tips of her fingers. Catherine eyed the cigarette. She boldly reached down to take the stick within her own fingers, finally bringing it up to her lips to take a long drag before throwing it on the ground and crushing it with the toe of her black stiletto.

"We've had enough untimely death in this godforsaken town to last us a good while, don't you think?" Caroline asked annoyedly while she continued to crush the cigarette into the ground until she was satisfied with its demise.

Katherine only smirked, though her expression showed no traces of humor. She lifted her hand to brush the younger girl's long bangs from her face before bending down slightly to kiss her cheek. "Whatever you say, Care. Call me if you need anything." Caroline warmed to her touch, inwardly amending her earlier reaction to Katherine's offensive statement about death. It was easy to forget that under that boldness and fire was a tenderness hidden to most of the world.

"I will," Caroline said, relieved, before turning back around and walking away from the Grill.

"Hey, Care?" Katherine called out to her.

"Hmm?" Caroline stopped walking and shifted her head slightly to look back around.

"Welcome to the Lonely Orphans Club," Katherine said bitterly before opening up the door and going inside.

Caroline remained rooted in her position, her body facing forward but her head twisted to the side to look behind her. She nodded after a long while, not caring that Katherine had already gone back inside and no one could see her. She finally turned back around and continued her short journey home.

The night sky was bright and starry, but she refused to look upwards at the vast expanse for fear that the sudden shift of her gaze would prompt the onslaught of yet another wave of tears. She stared straight ahead of her, pleased that the crisp coldness was drying any liquid left in her eyes.

She made her way into her childhood home, lightly shutting the front door behind her. A knot of uneasiness settled into her stomach as she took in the quietness of the house. She set her purse down and removed her coat before tidying up the living room. She then moved on to the kitchen to put away the clean dishes left from the day before. When there was nothing left to do, she kicked off her heels at the foot of the staircase and made her way up to her bedroom, purposely avoiding looking into her mother's now empty room. She let out a sigh as she came into the gratifying darkness of the room, only dimly lit by the stars shining through the large window. After changing into pajamas and washing her face, she crawled under the covers and tucked her hands under her cheek. The blackness enveloped her in all of her sadness. The tears began to fall again, and soon her tired body succumbed to the fatigue.

It was only a couple of hours later that Caroline awoke to movement beside her on the bed. She hazily opened her eyes to see Matt, now changed out of his suit from before and in sweatpants and a white undershirt, slowly sinking himself onto the bed beside her.

"Matty?" she asked confused.

"It's me, Care Bear," he responded. He lay down beside her and turned so he was facing her. "Katherine told me you snuck away and I wanted to come and check up on you. How are you feeling?"

"Shattered," she said without hesitation. "I feel shattered and broken." She hesitated. "I loved her with my entire heart. She's all I had and I feel like I'm dying. I can't breathe without her here with me," her voice catching.

"I'm sorry, Caroline. I'm so sorry." He lifted up his hand and brushed back the hair falling on her cheek. "I'm sorry she's gone and I'm sorry you're left hurting."

She paused for a moment before she asked, "Do I still count as an orphan if I'm twenty-three?"

"I think you can be whatever it is you feel inside your heart, no matter your age."

They stayed quiet for a few minutes, Matt continuing to brush her hair with his fingers, until Caroline spoke up again.

"You know what I really want more than anything, right now?"

"Hmm?" he sounded in response.

"I just want to get in my car and drive far away. Except what I really want to run away from is myself and this pitiful existence. I just want to run away from myself and that's just not possible," she sighed tiredly. How badly she wished to divorce reality and escape the tragedy of her life, if only for a day.

Matt stayed silent, never ceasing his fingers' soothing ministrations in her hair. "You're wrong, you know," he said suddenly. Caroline shot him a confused look before he continued, "You're wrong about what you said before, to Elena. She told me. You're not alone. You will never _be_ alone so long as you have all of us. Elena, Katherine, Jeremy, Bonnie, Jenna, even Tyler," he listed, "they're all sleeping downstairs right now. There may be no one left of blood, but you've still got us, and that's close enough."

"Thank you, Matty," she whispered, tears forming again in her eyes. She moved closer to him, allowing him to wrap his arms around her for the second time that day. He brushed a chaste kiss to her forehead and they both stayed wrapped in each other's arms until they each fell asleep to the lulling beat of the other's heartbeat.


	2. Chapter 1: A Plunge into the Deep End

**Chapter 1: A Plunge in the Deep End**

Caroline stepped out of the taxi, grabbing her handbag as she went. The taxi driver hopped out to grab her mid-sized suitcase from the trunk while she shut the car door and came around to the back of the car to bid him thank you and hand him his fare. "Welcome to Chicago," he said kindly. She only only smiled and nodded. Gathering her belongings closer to her side, she watched him pull away from the curb.

Despite the shining sun, the crispness of the October air was giving her a slight chill She buttoned her sweater a little higher before looking up at the building. It was beautiful. The sight of the brick stone building covered heavily in ivy eased only some of the tension she felt in her heart. There were a few roses left on the rose bushes that she was sure wouldn't last much longer with the impending cold temperatures. Leave it to Katherine to find a place with just the perfect amount of soul and beauty, Caroline thought.

The building might not have been located in the heart of downtown Chicago, but it was certainly close enough. There was a comforting calmness to the neighborhood, most probably due to its being a quiet Sunday afternoon. Her right hand clung tightly to her purse's shoulder strap which hung comfortably from her right shoulder. She resisted the urge to remain rooted in her place, knowing full well that as soon as she stepped across the threshold of the building there would be no going back. She was vaguely aware that, standing here in front of what would soon be her new apartment building, the axis upon which she previously stood was tilting ever so subtly.

She was moving to Chicago. It was as official as the gold paint lining the front entrance of the building. It had taken her a month after the funeral to accept that she needed to leave Mystic Falls, another month to narrow down her move to Chicago, and three months after that to finalize the sale of the house. She had put in her notice at work. Carol Lockwood, sympathizing with Caroline's plight after the passing of her mother, had not only accepted her resignation and understood her need to move away, but had even encouraged her to do so. She had always been fond of Caroline, Caroline being exceptionally driven and Liz Forbes having been a close family friend throughout the years. Mrs. Lockwood had written Caroline a glowing recommendation on behalf of her own firm and had sent Caroline on her way with the best of wishes for her success. Within the next two months, Caroline heard back from the design and project management firm to which she'd applied that she'd been accepted for the position. She had rushed to finish up with the last of her mother's affairs, a tedious and hectic process exacerbated by the time crunch, but finally completed in the end.

Her friends from home had teetered between restrained support and blatant apprehension. Of course, no one believed she would actually go through with it until they saw the "For Sale" sign swinging carelessly from its post in front of her house. The rapidly spreading word of her resignation from Lockwood+Perry only added to their shock and grudging acceptance that she was really doing this.

She couldn't help but feel like the world was moving on without her no matter how hard she tried to ignore it. Elena's relationship with Damon, whom she had met while in UVA's graduate program a year prior, had taken off quickly and she was even considering moving in with him into his home in Richmond once she finished the final semester of her program. Bonnie had accepted a teaching position in New York in order to be closer to Jeremy, Elena's younger brother. Even Matt was moving forward with his business plans to acquire the Grill and make it his own. His relationship with Sarah was getting serious and Caroline could tell how happy he was that the pieces of his life were finally coming together seamlessly.

While the painful experience of selling her childhood home had been enough to make her question her decision, it was hugging Matt goodbye and looking into his kind blue eyes that had made her nearly drop her bags and call off the whole thing. He had been there every step of the way, never leaving her side, and stepping in as the brother she never had. Although her best friends checked in on her as often as they could, they were all off in other cities living their lives. It was Matt, one of the few like her who had decided to move back home after college, who was able to be the physical presence of comfort in her life that she so desperately needed. He was supportive of her, and in the end, had given her the final push to move on from her life in Mystic Falls and start a new one in Chicago.

It was thus, seven and a half months later, that she was showing up on Katherine's doorstep. Katherine, in a move that surprised most everyone, had offered Caroline the empty second bedroom in her two-bedroom apartment, usually preferring to live alone and only making an exception for her baby sister's best friend.

Caroline continued to stare at the building. "What did I do? What did I do? What did I do?" she whispered furiously to herself, cursing the moment she came up with this ridiculous idea all those months back. She could have just stayed in Mystic Falls and avoided this potentially catastrophic disaster. What the hell was she getting herself into?

Mustering up the courage to finally go inside, Caroline rolled her small suitcase through the building's front entrance, mentally thanking herself for having the foresight to ship the bulk of her belongings beforehand. She opted for the elevator instead of the stairs, not wanting to lug the suitcase up, despite its small size and lightness in weight. The apartment was on the fifth floor, also the topmost floor, and was on the side facing the street. "5A," she whispered to herself before rapping her knuckles twice on the door.

It quickly swung open. "It's about time, Blondie!" Katherine said loudly, her long brown locks dancing wildly below her shoulders. "What the heck took you so long?" Not bothering to wait for a response, Katherine's slender arms wrapped around Caroline's frame in a hug. "Hello to you, too, Katherine," Caroline said into Katherine's hair with a small smile.

Katherine pulled back. "Welcome to your new home," she said with a flourish of her arms, her brown eyes dancing with mischief. "Come on, let's go inside."

Caroline's anxiety returned as she passed through the threshold. This was Katherine she was moving in with, she reminded herself. Katherine, as in the same insolent girl from high school who was a cold-hearted bitch on a good day and a raging psycho on a look-at-me-and-I'll-snap-your-neck day. Despite her warm welcome, Caroline knew better.

"Jeez, Caroline. Did they start rationing meals in that hick town or were you just thinking of trying out for Miss Virginia?" Katherine cocked her head to the side and pretended to think. "Because you might usually have the whole bubbly and blonde thing going, but I'm pretty sure they like their girls hearty and healthy down there" she said, gesturing to Caroline's thin frame, unimpressed. Points for tact, thought Caroline.

"Oh no, darlin'. I just wanted to take after my one true role model, Katherine Gilbert. I hear she's on this new diet called air and lettuce," Caroline mocked back with a faux Southern twang, referring to Katherine's own slender frame.

Katherine only threw her head back and laughed, never one to let anything get to her. "Well, I've got clients to see and deals to land. We can't have those extra pounds weighing me down, now can we?" she laughingly continued, matching Caroline's exaggerated Southern sass. Caroline rolled her eyes and let out a small chuckle.

"How was your flight?" Katherine asked normally this time. A more appropriate question would have been, "How are you feeling?" but Katherine tended to avoid emotion like the plague.

"It was short. I mean, it was only two hours and I barely blinked before I realized we'd landed." Caroline had an urge to wonder out loud why Katherine didn't come home more often if the flight was so short but then thought better of it.

"Yea, it's convenient that way. Now," she abruptly changed the subject, "remind me again when you have to be back at work."

"My first day is next Monday, so I have all of this week to get settled in."

"Good. So, did you want to eat first and then pack or," Katherine led.

"Thanks," Caroline replied. "But I'm not really hungry. I think I'm just going to start unpacking. I want to get everything organized now so that I can figure out what I still need to buy."

"Want any help?"

"No, I think I'm good," Caroline replied, wanting to be alone as she adjusted to the first few hours of her new life.

Katherine nodded and showed her to her bedroom. "Let me know if you change your mind," Katherine told her as the girls parted ways.

Caroline spent the rest of the afternoon organizing her new bedroom. After Katherine showed her around and explained the basics, she had left her to get settled. The boxes that had been previously sent to Chicago from Mystic Falls were neatly stacked in her room, and in only a matter of a few hours, though there was much to be sorted and put away, Caroline had everything neatly organized and arranged in her spacious bedroom. Like those who stress cleaned or ate away their nerves, Caroline found organization to be her particular brand of catharsis. In this case, it was tiresome and even physically strenuous, but all the more satisfying—anything to get her mind off of what was truly plaguing her heart.

Ever since her mother had died, a distinct fog had settled over her senses. She was still very much keenly aware of the reality around her and her emotions, of course, were still very much in full-swing, but there was a certain dimness in her that appeared to have taken up permanent residence. She was helpless against its power despite her fervent desire to be rid of it. She used to hope for happiness—a naive, innocent hope, but her sole hope, nonetheless. And when she had finally achieved it, had had the chance to finally sample its sweetness, it had escaped her feeble grasp and torn her to pieces.

You see, it was the expectation and the ultimate disappointment that had been her undoing. She had known better, she had chastised herself. She had known it was just a matter of time before the other shoe would drop because, let's face it, this was her life and the other shoe _always_ dropped. But she had lost herself in her contentedness, gradually weaning her heart off its ever-present vigilance until her secret pessimism and her constant need to suppress her hopes lest she be disappointed had become a thing of the past.

She was sorry for her mistake at first. She regretted getting so caught up in the normalcy of her life that she had forgotten to remind herself of her happiness's inevitable untimely conclusion. But then she had changed her mind. She had protected her heart against disappointment for so long that it was hardly reprehensible that she would allow herself to forget for awhile. It had been a long time before her family was able to recover from the divorce. The tension present before the split lingered in every cranny and crevice of that home long after the bags were packed and the papers signed. Her family was barely over that calamity before the next one hit with the sudden death of her father. He had been out of the house and absent from their lives for quite sometime but the blow was no less paralyzing. Her pain had been manageable, but it was the sight of her mother wordlessly withering away that had tangled her child's heart into a mess of a thousand knots. It wasn't until she had moved away to college, having the chance to discover life on her own, and having commenced a steady correspondence with her mother via telephone, that the knots of her heart slowly disentangled. She was healing without even realizing.

It's funny, she would later muse, how easy it is to forget your grief and torment once you've had the chance to heal. But what was the use of remembering any of that now when none of it remained? Her mother was gone and Caroline was the only one left. All of that healing and happiness had gone to hell in a handbasket and all that remained was a much duller version of what she could have been. Obviously, it wasn't her first choice to be this way. It wasn't even her fiftieth. But such is life, and so we must learn to survive anew.

In the first few months after her mother's death, when she would arrive home from work to an empty house, she would allow the haunting silence and reality of solitude to seep ceaselessly into her bones. Shock therapy, she had rationalized. Maybe, in some twisted, masochistic way, if she let the demons attack her mind and torture her spirit all at once, the pain would leave sooner rather than later. She was, of course, no stranger to pain, but its relatively long absence from her life had left her with a sentiment quite the opposite of fond nostalgia, and so it wasn't at all with a warm embrace that she allowed it back into her life.

It didn't take long to realize that her masochistic plan was failing. Her friendship with pain had been severed after her teenage hormones had eventually settled and she was not shocked to discover that she no longer desired its companionship. Maybe it was a renewed survival instinct or maybe it was just weakness, but all she knew was that she didn't want to suffer anymore. She refused to believe that she was doomed to a lifetime of unhappiness. She had tasted the sweet wine and now she wanted it back, however hard it would be. She would be damned if she was going to let life get the best of her again.

It was with this outlook that Caroline had decided to move away from Mystic Falls. Being surrounded by all of those memories, good and bad, was doing unspeakable things to her delicate grip on sanity. While she wanted so badly to breathe in every last ounce of her mother that she could, she knew that it would all be futile if she remained rooted only to memories. And though maybe she could have learned to get over it eventually and learn how to move on in spite of the painful memories, all she knew then was that she wasn't eager to stick around and find out.

She had set out with the task of relocation with a new fire blazing within her. This fire didn't heal her nor did it ease her sorrow. It was simply the unmistakable fire that accompanies one's desperate need to expel one's demons in a hurry. She couldn't stay there any longer. It was just too damn hard. And so, upon Elena's suggestion, Caroline had pinpointed the precise location where she would reconstruct the falling pieces of her life. She would be rid of this fog if it was the last thing she did. Chicago would be her city of deliverance, of that she would make sure.

* * *

Katherine stood up from her desk and stretched her arms high above her. After Caroline declined her offer to help, she'd decided to catch up on some paperwork she hadn't had a chance to get to earlier in the weekend. She hadn't anticipated it would take this long, and what began as an hour-long task quickly stretched into an hours-long one. She'd stopped only once to eat dinner with Caroline—takeout from the Thai place around the corner—before both of them resumed their respective tasks.

Katherine shut off her desk light and walked over to Caroline's bedroom to check on her. Her door was open and Katherine could see that she had fallen fast asleep on the covers with an old picture album lying open next to her. Katherine sighed. It was obvious that the girl didn't want to let go of her memories. At least they were good memories, she thought.

Katherine moved forward to place the album on the nightstand. She rolled Caroline slightly to the left so that she could pull out the blankets from under her and cover her body with them. Caroline made no move to wake up, probably because she was so exhausted from the flight and the unpacking. Katherine smoothed her blonde waves out of her face and bent down to kiss her forehead. "Sweet dreams, Care," she whispered. She shut off the bedside lamp and moved toward the door, shutting it softly behind her.

Caroline, for all her trying, was not alright. Katherine could see the hidden scars reflected in Caroline's eyes. Her forced smiles and feigned interest in the conversation were blatantly apparent to Katherine who considered herself somewhat of an expert on the matter. Katherine knew very well how hard it is having to pretend to the world that you're better than you actually are, all the while fighting against your own internal decay. Katherine had fought that battle and suffered a humiliating loss. It's exhausting and painful and, what's even worse, is the overwhelming thought that maybe the fight isn't even worth it.

As she observed Caroline that night over her own plate of pad thai, she reflected not for the first time how similar the blonde was to her, though she'd be hard pressed to admit such a thing out loud. Of course, there was the obvious similarity that both of them had lost their parents, but the similarity ran far deeper than that. They had both suffered through their demons, were still suffering through them, and there was not a single other soul who could fight alongside them in this uphill battle. They were tangled messes in a world of tangled messes, and the gaping scars on their heart would surely haunt them for the rest of their lives. Because, what most people failed to understand, was that it wasn't the traumatic events themselves that had left them with these lasting wounds. It was, rather, the tailspin of turmoil they were already born with and which was then fueled in the aftermath that had tested their warmth and fucked with their strength.

This little girl was trying with all her might to fill the void she no doubt felt within her. Caroline might appear to a common stranger to be back-broken and defeated, but Katherine could still see the fight in her eyes. She had had her doubts about her all those months ago outside of the Grill on the day of her mother's funeral. Caroline had gone from looking wild with despair at the chapel to looking like life had beaten her to a pulp and trounced her unsparingly as she escaped the wake to go home. The vacant look in Caroline's eyes that night outside the Grill had inspired a surprising dose of post-traumatic stress in Katherine, for it brought her back to all those memories she could never quite seem to keep buried. The other mourners there had probably seen in Caroline that same look, though she was sure none of them derived from it as much fear as she did.

That night, and in the couple of nights after, Katherine had wanted nothing to do with any of it. The only reason Katherine had stepped foot back in Mystic Falls in the first place was because Elena had begged her to be there. Elena, ironically, had wanted to make sure that, on the day commemorating Caroline's newfound solitude, she would be surrounded by all the people who still loved and cared for her. It had been a long time since Katherine had been close to Caroline and her return to Mystic Falls had been more of a favor to her desperate little sister than anything else.

It was in the later months, after she'd returned to her life in Chicago, that she had a surprising change of heart. Caroline, particularly the last version of Caroline that she had witnessed, didn't deserve to feel any of that pain. Despite the overwhelming discomfort she felt at having to empathize with Caroline, she understood how deeply she must be hurting. She found herself hoping that Caroline would not make the same mistakes she had in her attempts to cope with her grief. So when she received the call from an unsure Elena attempting to discreetly enquire as to whether Caroline would be welcome with her in Chicago, Katherine didn't hesitate to offer up her second bedroom, though only after chastising her sister on her lack of stealth.

As Katherine lay in bed that night, she closed her eyes and silently wished for things to be different. Seeing Caroline's pain today had reminded her of her own, instantly making her regret her decision to let the girl stay in her apartment. All they both needed was some peace of heart and the strength to move on, but how was Caroline supposed to heal if she was forced to live with a person as damaged as she? Katherine had a feeling this wouldn't at all be easy. It never is, she reminded herself before drifting off to sleep.

_AN: Hello, all! First and foremost, I hope you guys like it so far and I just want to apologize for the wordiness of this chapter. I know it's kind of annoying, but there's just so much backstory that I wanted to reveal first before getting into the good stuff. And I promise the next chapter has good stuff ! I also wanted to let you know that if the story continues the way it has in my mind, then it will probably be morphing into both a Klaus/Caroline and a Katherine/Elijah pairing. I'll officially add those characters to the description once I'm fully sure. Thanks again for reading and don't forget to post a review!_


	3. Chapter 2: Feeling is First

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Diaries.

**Chapter 2: Feeling is First**

She could sense their presence behind her. They'd been following her since she'd made that wrong turn onto an abandoned street leading her into what looked like a seedy part of the neighborhood. It's not like she'd purposefully meant for this to happen. She had just left the fifth art gallery she'd visited that day and was surprised to see that the sky had turned dark with night as she stepped out onto the sidewalk. The last of her visits had taken longer than she had anticipated.

She had chosen today to walk the city on foot. Since Katherine had work everyday and Caroline didn't want to use that as an excuse to stay cooped up in the apartment, she'd taken the liberty of exploring Chicago on her own during the past few days. She'd already mastered the basics of the metro system in the days prior, and today she'd reasoned that the only way to truly experience a city's soul was on foot. She had already visited the main tourist attractions earlier in the week and today she had wanted to make her rounds to some of the famous local art galleries. The excursion had hit a slight snag when her only means of communication had failed her. She'd foolishly forgotten to charge her phone last night and it had barely lasted her through the second gallery visit sometime in the late morning.

When she'd walked out of that last gallery, nestled in a quieter part of the city, she noticed only a few stragglers on the street, their brisk paces indicating their desire to finally make it home in this late hour. The street was relatively calm, owing to not only the time but also to the fact of it being a weeknight in an already quiet part of town. Caroline was aware enough of her surroundings to know she was only a few blocks from the apartment and she was almost sure of the way to get home. That is, of course, until she accidentally turned left onto the wrong street and unintentionally invited the tail presence of two night stalkers.

Caroline's heart rate spiked. She made an abrupt stop, dropping to the ground and pretending to tie the shoelaces on her white Chucks. She turned her head ever so slightly to see that the men had paused, too, one of them pretending to throw something in the trash bin and the other feigning a conversation with him. They were purposely standing away from the streetlamp and she couldn't properly make out their figures. Yes, they most definitely were following her.

For a quick second, she contemplated running. She could book it across the street and escape them. No, she thought, there was no way she could outrun them, and by the time they caught up to her she'd be even further deep into this shady neighborhood where no one could hear her screams or, worse, no one would care. Katherine had informed her she'd be out late because of a work dinner she was obliged to attend, so she wouldn't be noticing Caroline's absence for quite some time if Caroline never made it back home. Shit, Caroline inwardly cursed.

Damned if she ran and damned if she stood still any longer, Caroline stood back up, the hairs on her body standing distinctly on end. She squared her shoulders and couldn't help that her hands automatically balled up into fists. She could feel a rush of blood to her face, most likely a result of her fear. She continued walking, though her pace was slightly faster this time. The footsteps behind her picked up a little faster this time, too.

Caroline mentally sifted through a list of all the self-defense moves her mother had made her learn—one of the byproducts of being the sheriff's daughter—until, out of what seemed like nowhere, she spotted her means of survival. He had just turned onto the street and was walking nearly a half a block ahead of her, the darkness once again leaving her unable to make out his figure other than that he was presumably a man and he was carrying a shoulder bag. She saw her chance and she took it.

"Baby! Baby, there you are!" she exclaimed loudly. "I've been waiting forever for you!" she said, waving ahead to the stranger who had now slowed to a stop and turned to observe the commotion behind him. She skipped the few paces ahead to catch up with him. "Darling, I've been trying to get a hold of you for the past hour. I thought we were supposed to meet up at Café Soleil?" she continued loudly, making sure her stalkers could hear, and mentally cringing at the stupid name she just invented. She sidled up to his left, slinking her arm around his waist.

As she leaned in, pretending to kiss his cheek, she whispered softly into his ear, "Play along." Caroline pulled back and signalled to him the reason for this charade by subtly gesturing in the direction of her stalkers with a small tilt of her head. He shifted his gaze discreetly to see the two men walking towards them. His previous look of confusion morphed into one of understanding when he realized her desire to escape the men's potential harm. In a gesture of protectiveness, he wrapped his own arm around her waist. She still couldn't make out his features very well because of the darkness, but his bright blue eyes stood out distinctly—those same eyes that had at once shifted from reflecting his confusion at being manhandled by a strange woman on the street had turned into understanding and now into unconcealed amusement.

Caroline held her breath and at least a half a dozen thoughts ran through her head. Could she have just potentially fled the danger of her two stalkers only to run into the arms of another psycho? Could she outrun all three of them? Were they all working together? How far would her screams carry if they decided to attack her? Shit, shit, shit. How on earth did she get herself into this mess!? She'd been here less than a week and _already_ she was in trouble. Why are you such an idiot, Caroline, she mentally berated herself.

She was pulled out of her internal meltdown as she sensed the presence of the two men come closer to them. The stranger pulled her closer to him, most likely acting on his newfound duty to protect the blonde. They both released the breaths they had been holding as soon as the men passed them by and turned on the nearest corner, leaving them alone on the street.

"Oh, thank God," Caroline sighed, stepping back from the stranger, relieved at the sight of her stalkers turning the corner and disappearing into the night. "God, I'm so sorry, sir," she exclaimed, turning her gaze back on him. He was staring at her intently, the look of amusement that had been gracing his features yet to disappear. "I didn't realize it had gotten so late and it was just so dark and my phone died and all of a sudden I heard them behind me and I panicked and I was sure they would kill me because of course it's the blondes in the horror movies that always die first but then I saw you and I did the first thing I could think of," she rambled nervously, internally cringing yet again for revealing too much to this strange man. She took a deep breath and another small step back. "Really, sir, I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you for playing along. I appreciate it," she said, a little more composed, now.

"Anytime, sweetheart," he said as he grinned at the delightful girl, his melodious British accent juxtaposing with the roughness of their surroundings. "But, love, do you not think it a tad unwise for a pretty little thing like you to be wandering these unsavory streets of Chicago at such a late hour?"

Caroline observed him for a moment. They had moved a little closer to the light glowing from the streetlamp and she could now make out his features more clearly. He was attractive, that much was obvious, but he was more striking than he was handsome in the traditional sense. He had curly, light brown hair that was peppered with blonde wisps and loosely gelled. He had a closely trimmed beard that outlined his plump lips and, oh, what lips they were. She was taken aback by those lips now forming into a wolfish grin and her gaze immediately snapped back up to his eyes.

"Oh God, you're a serial killer aren't you?" she said shaking her head with slight horror, as if the realization had just dawned on her. There was no way someone as stunning as him could be normal.

He threw his head back and laughed a deep guttural laugh, thoroughly surprised at the statement that had just escaped the girl's lips. She narrowed her eyes at him with unconcealed distrust.

"Stop laughing," Caroline said, slightly offended but more embarrassed than anything. "I don't see what's so funny."

"You practically manhandle me in the middle of an open space, and at a rather indecent time, might I add, and _I'm_ the serial killer in this scenario?" he laughed with mock indignation.

"I'm glad you find such amusement in my distress," she huffed.

"Sorry, love," he continued chuckling, "it's just that I find you hilarious, that's all. It's not everyday one goes from being the hero rescuing the girl from certain death to being accused of murder all in the span of five minutes. Maybe it's you I should be weary of," he pointed his finger at her. "How do I know this isn't just an elaborate ploy to seduce a handsome fellow like myself and then steal all of his money?"

Caroline balked at his suggestion. "To seduce a handsome fellow like yourself?" she mocked at him disbelievingly. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we? Besides, you turning the accusations on me isn't going to make me forget that you never answered my question. You see, you keep talking but I haven't heard a denial yet." Caroline raised her eyebrows in a challenge to him.

"I can assure you that I am most definitely _not_ a serial killer," he said attempting and failing to keep a straight face.

"Yea, I'm sure that's what all the serial killers say before they go in for the kill," she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Scout's honor," he promised, holding up his fingers to indicate his sincerity.

"You were never a Boy Scout," she said rolling her eyes. "First of all, even if I hadn't known that you're doing that all wrong," she said, gesturing with her index finger to his incorrect hand sign, "I would know better than to believe that they let shady characters like you into the program." The offense she'd taken to his earlier accusation obviously hadn't worn off yet.

"You wound me, sweetheart," he smirked, placing a hand over his heart. "That truly hurt."

"Oh, please," she rolled her eyes. She couldn't figure out why this man inspired in her such annoyance. "Anyway, I should be going. Goodbye," she said coldly. She turned away from him and made a move to walk away.

His arm shot out to grab her arm. "Wait! I'm sorry, love. I didn't mean to offend. And anyway, you can't walk the rest of the way home by yourself. You just barely escaped a near-death experience and, besides, you said so yourself that you're lost."

"I think I can manage from here," she said curtly, shrugging her arm away from his grip.

"I'm sure you can, love, but what kind of gentleman would I be if I let you wander back into the cold, dangerous night all by yourself?" he replied with that same wolfish grin. Caroline noticed just then how adorable his dimples were. She immediately rid herself of the ridiculous thought.

"The kind of gentleman who realizes that just because a girl may have utilized his presence on the street to her advantage earlier, it does not, in any way shape or form, mean that she requires _or _wants from him any further assistance." Her eyes were narrowed and her stance was tall, her gaze boring through the stranger's with all of the confidence and fire characteristic of Caroline Forbes. She mentally praised herself for getting all of that out without stumbling over her words.

Just then, a taxi cab rounded the corner. Where was a stupid cab when I needed one before, thought Caroline bitterly. She hastened closer to the street and waved her hand to flag down the taxi.

"Wait!" the stranger exclaimed. "Are you going to at least tell me your name?" The taxi pulled up in front of them.

Caroline stepped forward and pulled open the door. Turning slightly around, she said to him, "Just call me," she pondered, "just call me 'The Girl who Walks Alone." She flashed him a coy smile that came freely now that she was heading closer to safety. "Goodnight, sir. Thank you, again." With one last look at his expression, she descended into the cab, closing the door shut behind her.

As the cab pulled away, the man stood staring after it in silent wonder. This girl—this crazy, delightful girl—had shown him at least five different faces in the short while in which he'd made her acquaintance. And while under normal circumstances he would stay as far the hell away from any girl who even remotely hinted at having the crazy eyes, he was almost sure this girl was different. She was bright, and strong, and wonderfully hilarious without even meaning to be so. He felt compelled to know her more, and he lamented the lost opportunity. Shaking his head with a smile, his eyes lit up in a way they hadn't for quite some time, he turned on his heel and resumed his previously interrupted journey. He had an inkling that 'The Girl who Walks Alone' wouldn't escape his thoughts for a long while.

* * *

"No, Dave," Katherine breathed lethally into her cell phone. She was pacing the street in front of the restaurant in her tall, black pumps. She knew she was late to dinner but there was no way she could go in until she got this mess sorted. "We had a deal, we shook on it, and now you're reneging. If I didn't know any better, I'd say—." She was cut off by the voice on the other end. She stayed quiet as he continued to talk.

"Yea, well," she replied to the voice, "you'd better make damn sure of that or else both our asses are on the line. Get it done, Dave," she barked before ending the call. Glancing down at the time on her phone, she cursed. She was late to dinner and her boss was definitely going to kill her. Katherine shoved her phone into her purse and adjusted her skirt, walking as quickly as she could through the restaurant's entrance.

"There you are!" her boss, Marcel Gerard, addressed her as she approached the table. The guests all stood to greet her. "I just finished telling everyone that you probably just got caught up with a client," he continued. She knew him well enough by now to know he was subtly hinting at her to agree, for any other reason for her tardiness would simply be unacceptable.

"Business never stops, I'm afraid," she responded diplomatically, shrugging her shoulders and giving a small smile. She looked around at the guests who were still standing. It was a small gathering, only three other people besides herself and Marcel, two of which were close business contacts of his. Although they were technically his clients, he had formed a close relationship with the two and regularly kept in contact. The third guest was a man she had never seen before now. He was a handsome man who looked to be in his early thirties and was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit that only someone with with considerable means or, at least a desire to impress, could afford. Marcel must be trying to land him as a client, she thought.

"Katherine, you remember Mr. Thompson and Mrs. Devereaux," Marcel gestured to the two familiar faces.

"Of course. It's very nice to see you again, Mr. Thompson. Mrs. Devereaux," she said shaking each of their hands.

Marcel gestured to the third guest. "And this gentleman here is Mr. Elijah Mikaelson of—"

"Mikaelson Corp.," Katherine jumped in, recognition dawning on her features. Elijah and his brother bought prime real estate and flipped them into the most desirable and high-end restaurants and hotels. They had only just begun to expand into ventures outside of hospitality and the brothers' fast success and relentless practices made them a formidable force in their line of business. Elijah was well-known to be the one who managed the business aspect of the company. "Katherine Gilbert. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said, her eyes locking with his as they shook hands in greeting.

"Likewise," he said, his brown eyes never leaving hers.

"Elijah and his brother and I go way back, and when I discovered that Mr. Thompson and Mrs. Devereux knew Elijah, I thought dinner was the perfect idea for us all to get together," Marcel said by way of explanation. Katherine nodded and smiled.

"Katherine is one of our best," Marcel continued, boasting to the guests before motioning to them all to take a seat. He looked to Elijah, the only one at the table who didn't know her already. "She's only been with the firm for a few years now but she's already giving everyone a run for their money. Pun intended," he winked. Everyone chuckled.

It was true. Only two years after graduating college, Katherine had begun working with Marcel and the firm as a business agent representing a wide variety of companies in Chicago. She'd taken great strides to prove herself worthy in this male-dominated business, and it didn't take long before her coworkers noticed how many of the largest companies signing with the firm were all her doing.

"Thank you, Marcel," Katherine said with a gracious smile. She might not have much patience for these silly little social calls, but she sure as hell could pretend.

She slid into the empty seat next to him and across from Elijah. Marcel had launched into a topic of conversation and the attention was on him. Katherine inwardly rolled her eyes. Marcel was clearly laying on the charm thickly, and it was no secret that it was all in an attempt to reel Elijah into his grasp. Elijah, though, didn't seem like the type to be so easily won. She diverted her gaze from Marcel to look at Elijah's face and was startled to discover him staring straight at her. His eyes bore through her, and she had the distinct feeling that he was trying his hardest to figure her out with just one look at her face. She turned her eyes away from him and tuned into the conversation.

Katherine attempted to engage in conversation with Marcel and the guests. Thankfully, Marcel did enough of the talking that it was only necessary for her to make small comments here and there or form whatever facial expression appropriate for the particular topic of conversation. It hadn't taken very long into the dinner for Katherine to lose interest in what Marcel was saying. Whatever it was, she'd heard it all before and, even if she hadn't already, then heaven knew she'd hear it all again at another one of these social gatherings. Marcel was never really one for original material.

Every now and then her gaze would flit back to look at Elijah, and every one of those times he'd be looking away from her. Considering how intently he had stared at her at the start of dinner, it wasn't a stretch to conclude that he was avoiding looking at her now on purpose. He was sitting right across from her for heaven's sake. Shouldn't their gazes have met at least once more by now?

She turned to look at Elijah again. His head was slightly turned in the direction of Marcel and Mrs. Devereaux who were engaged in a lighthearted debate. He was wearing a polite smile, though Katherine could tell the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. So she was right in her first assessment, she mused. He really was unimpressed by Marcel's charm. She smiled smugly at the thought. Finally someone could see past Marcel's bleach white teeth and bullshit smile.

Katherine was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of Mr. Thompson's voice thanking Marcel for dinner. Marcel bowed slightly and smiled widely. "It was a most lovely evening," he responded. "Thank you to each of you for the wonderful company. I hope it won't be long before we can do this again." Everyone stood and made their way to the restaurant's entrance. Katherine walked alongside Mrs. Devereux, chatting idly about her company's success in the last quarter and her desire to move forward with an expansion.

As they made their way out of the restaurant and onto the busy sidewalk, Katherine bid her farewells to Mrs. Devereux and Mr. Thompson. She turned to say her goodbyes to Marcel and Elijah and found them talking off to the side. One look at Elijah's face and she could tell he was cornered. Marcel was nothing if not relentless.

Not wanting to intrude on their conversation and not wanting to be impolite for not saying goodbye either, she finally decided to walk forward. She came up to Marcel, who had his back turned to her, and touched her hand to his arm. "Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to wish you both a good night. It was very nice to meet you, Mr. Mikaelson," she said, turning to Elijah. Both men returned her farewell, though Elijah had a conflicted look on his face that she couldn't decipher. With one last nod, Katherine turned around and began to walk in the direction of her apartment.

It was a nice night and the streets around her were busy. This part of town was known to have some of the best restaurants and one could always expect a crowd on any day of the week. That was why she felt comfortable enough to walk home tonight instead of taking a cab. It wasn't a short walk, but she figured that winter was creeping up and it would be a long while before she could enjoy less than freezing temperatures. As for her heels, she had packed a pair of flats in her large tote beforehand just in case.

Her mind wandered to the thought of Caroline and she decided to call and check up on her. She was stopped at the corner of the street waiting for the walk signal to turn.

"Ms. Gilbert."

She was reaching into her purse for her phone when she heard a voice from her left call her name. Her head had been turned in the opposite direction, and she was too distracted by the task of digging for her phone to realize that he had come to stand by her side.

"Mr. Mikaelson," she acknowledged in surprise. It seemed he was waiting at the crosswalk as well. They were still on the same block as the restaurant, which means he must have cut his conversation short with Marcel not long after she left them.

When he didn't say anything further, she turned her head forward again, her mission to find her phone long forgotten. If he wasn't willing to be the one to initiate conversation, then she certainly wasn't going to make it easy for him by being the one to start it. Cars were still zooming past on the street parallel to them and a small crowd had gathered waiting to cross the street.

He spoke again. "It's a rather busy night for a weeknight, wouldn't you say?" Katherine raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow. Was this his attempt at starting a conversation with her or was he only concerned about the silence between them coming off as disrespectful?

She stayed silent for a few moments. Her hesitance caused him to turn and look at her, thinking that she might not have heard his question. She kept staring straight ahead of her.

"Yes, it is," she eventually replied in an even tone, at first intending to leave it only at that before adding as an afterthought, "It's usually always busy because of all the restaurants." If he was only interested in filling the silence out of courtesy, he would leave it at that. If he was truly interested in having a conversation with her, he'd pick up on the last comment and move forward with it. She was almost sure it was the former, which is why she was surprised to hear him speak up yet again.

"I don't usually come around here often, I'm afraid. It seems that there is a considerable part of Chicago I have yet to discover." It was the inflection of his voice in that last statement that Katherine picked up on the subtle hints of a foreign accent. He hadn't spoken very much until now for her to have picked up on it sooner.

"That's quite a shame considering how close it is to your office," she said, her composure never leaving her.

"You know where my office is?" he asked surprised.

She smirked, turning to look him boldly in the eyes. "I make it my business to know, Mr. Mikaelson." Katherine wore her confidence like a second skin and let it radiate off of her. Just then, the signal turned and the crowd around them lurched forward. She made no move to wait for him as she walked forward to cross the street.

He didn't miss a beat as he walked alongside her on the crosswalk. "Interesting," he said, still keeping the pace. "Then perhaps you will be accompanying Mr. Gerard to our lunch meeting around the corner from my building next week?" His statement sounded more like a hopeful request than a question.

They had reached the other side of the street and both of them turned to face each other. "So then you've already decided to take on Marcel as your agent?" Katherine asked, not even pretending to hide the fact that she'd already guessed the reason for the gathering they'd all just attended.

"No, I haven't," he replied with a faint glimmer in his eye. "I've scheduled a lunch meeting with him so I can let him down gently."

Katherine couldn't help the laugh that escaped her mouth. Marcel was her boss, and his success meant her success. But there was something so hilarious about this well-bred man standing in front of her sticking it to Marcel in the politest of ways possible. The sight of her laughing made the corners of Elijah's mouth turn up in a small grin.

"So let me get this straight. You just reveal to me your decision to turn down representation by _my _firm by _my_ boss, and you want me to attend the meeting where you stick it to him?" she asked, still amused.

"Yes," he said, the corners of his mouth still turned upwards.

She let out another chuckle. "May I ask why, Mr. Mikaelson?"

"Why I'm turning him down or why I want you there?"

"Both."

"Well," he answered. "For reasons he already knows, I am not quite ready to turn over the representation of my firm into a stranger's hands. I've been acting as my own registered agent since we started the company five years ago and it's worked out just fine. I don't see why I should switch now."

"You forget that someone like Marcel could negotiate far better deals for your sales and acquisitions than you could yourself," she said.

"Debatable," he replied. "And as for your second question, well," he paused, "I really would just like an opportunity to see you again." She felt a fluttering in her stomach. A slight hint of color rose to his face and she smiled at his embarrassment. His discomfort at his own boldness was a satisfying change from the cocky and self-assured men that usually came onto her. She derived a small pleasure from seeing someone as successful as him uncomfortable with the opposite sex.

"Is that so?" she said, softer this time. His eyes looked up into hers again. Her long lashes fanned out above her dark eyes, making it impossible for him to look away. "Well, we'll just see if I can make it then." Elijah nodded and the discomforted look left his eyes.

"Good. I'll see you there, then." Katherine glanced down at his lips and immediately looked back up to meet his eyes.

"Maybe," she reminded him with a smirk. She never made any promises.

"Of course. Goodnight then, Ms. Gilbert." His cheekbones were highlighted by his small smile.

"Goodnight, Mr. Mikaelson," she sing-songed with a small smile of her own before they both turned away and walked in their respective directions. What had begun as an uneventful night had turned out to be a rather interesting one.

* * *

Caroline quickly climbed all five flights of stairs and let herself into the dark apartment. Katherine must not be home yet, she thought. The adrenaline from earlier events was still pumping through her veins and she couldn't help the amount of thoughts buzzing through her head. She turned on the hallway light and made her way to her bedroom, shedding her jacket as she went. The racing of her heart had slowed down sometime after she'd gotten into the cab but it was still beating faster than usual. It wasn't as if this had been her first real brush with danger, it just the first time she had come this close to something actually happening. She didn't even want to think of what would have happened had the stranger not been there.

Her mind drifted to the man who'd saved her. She was intrigued by him before he'd even opened his mouth, but it had all gone downhill as soon he'd laid her with that smug attitude of his. It was humiliating enough that the situation she'd found herself took the award for the most clichéd damsel-in-distress scenario, but then he had to make fun of her about it, too. She was frustrated even thinking about it, but she couldn't help that there was just something about him that piqued her interest. He hadn't even given it a second thought before he'd wrapped her in his embrace and shielded her from the men following her. For some reason, she had no doubt that he wouldn't have hesitated to jump to her defense had the situation called for it. The thought gave her a small thrill, though the fact that she found his physical protection appealing was so predictable. What did it matter, anyway? No one would ever know about it and she'd never see the strange man again.

_AN: Alas the couples meet! This took me longer to write than I expected, but I finally finished it. I wanted their encounters to be realistic, or as realistic as you can make a fanfiction story about Vampire Diaries characters ;) I think I'm pretty satisfied with the way it came out, though. Hopefully all future scenes will be more realistic than cliché. Anyway, love it? Hate it? Drop a review, pretty please! _


	4. Chapter 3: Worldly Welcome

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Diaries or any of its characters.

**Chapter 3: Worldly Welcome**

Katherine looked up from her computer at the sound of Marcel knocking on her open office door. He was dressed in one of his customary fitted suits with a matching blue dress shirt and silver tie.

"Ready to go?" he asked. Katherine knitted her eyebrows in confusion and glanced down at her open planner. As far as she knew, she didn't have anything scheduled for the rest of the day.

"Go where? I don't have any more meetings today," she responded.

"Well, you do now. Today's the lunch meeting with Elijah and he expects you to be there, too." She'd completely forgotten about the lunch meeting Elijah mentioned he'd planned with Marcel.

"Why me?" Despite already knowing the answer to that, Katherine still wanted to hear an answer from Marcel. "This is your deal. I have nothing to do with it. Why do I need to be there?"

Marcel leveled Katherine with a look that screamed of his barely contained annoyance. "Because after that dinner, he now sees you as an extension of me. And since he wants to include you in our meeting, he's obviously agreed to sign with me. Now, if you're done wasting time with your questions, we need to get moving before we're late."

Katherine was used to his obnoxiousness by now, and most days it prompted her to lash out at him with a snarky reply in return. Not long after being hired, she'd discovered that while his nauseating self-assuredness and open condescension to his employees gave the impression that he was not one with which to be trifled, a little testing of the waters revealed to Katherine just how much of her retaliated sass he could tolerate before it crossed the line into unforgivable insubordination.

Today, though, was different. Her usual desire to cut him with her words died down into a feeling of concealed triumph. Marcel thought he was walking into a sure victory. Little did he know that Elijah had zero plans to sign with him. The thought of it gave her a great amount of satisfaction. Seeing the smug bastard turned down by Elijah was sure to be the highlight of her week. "Of course, Marcel," she answered in a sickeningly sweet tone. "Let me just grab my jacket." Had Marcel been slightly more astute, he would have realized something was off as soon as she gave that response instead of her usual cheeky one.

They were dropped off at the bistro by Marcel's company town car. Katherine let Marcel lead the way to the table where he'd spotted Elijah already seated. She glanced at him. He was occupied by something he was staring at on his cell phone and hadn't noticed them walk into the restaurant.

After their conversation that night, she was left wondering. He had been so reserved until he'd thrown her that curveball about wanting to know her better. She wasn't actually surprised—plenty of those belonging to the male species put up an aloof facade despite their true feelings for the opposite sex. Most were either socially inept or simply arrogant, only the latter of which she found worth humoring. She was quite familiar with the game of cat and mouse, and had never before shied away from rising to the challenge and then crushing their hearts. It was just that the way Elijah had looked at her had seemed so inexplicably pure of heart. It was admiring yet bashful—a combination that is entirely rare in this part of the city. Most men looked at her like they wanted to devour her, not get to know her. He had looked at her like he was trying his hardest to figure her out, and then some.

He was calculated, though, she could tell. He had a coolness that he kept trained on his features and a schooled composure he kept intact at all times. If there is anything she'd learned from her past, it is that those capable of hiding their feelings best are usually deserving of the most scrutiny, for it is those same people that have the most to hide. Anyone who took a moment to notice more than just her superficial looks would realize that she wore this same mask of indifference, as well. There was just one, very clear difference between herself and the others, though. While their look of composure was meant as a mask necessary in order to achieve their ulterior motives, hers was only a mask meant to help her detect these deceivers and protect herself from their inevitable betrayal.

Just as Marcel and Katherine neared the table, Elijah glanced up from his phone. He spotted Marcel first and his eyes landed on her next, the only hint of him being pleased to see her appearing in the light of his eyes. "Marcel, Mrs. Gilbert, nice to see you again," he said, shaking each of their hands. "I'm glad you could make it," he directed at her. The grip of his hand around hers was gentle but firm and his eyes shined in her direction. A thrilled feeling jolted through her body.

"It seems you made it so I didn't have a choice," she said to him in a low voice so Marcel, who was taking his seat at the table, couldn't hear. She wasn't oblivious to the fact that Elijah had called Marcel and asked for her to be there on purpose. Marcel would never refuse a potential client's request, and she wasn't stupid to think Elijah didn't already know that.

Elijah opened his mouth to object but Katherine gave him a pointed look, not giving him a chance to reply, and then took her seat next to Marcel. Elijah followed suit, seating himself across the pair.

Lunch was pleasant enough, and any discussion of the deal was studiously avoided by all three dining parties. Katherine quickly picked up on the fact that Elijah wasn't Marcel's biggest fan. Something about his body language told her he could barely stand the guy, and if it wasn't for the politeness so ingrained in him and the lady present at the table, he probably wouldn't be humouring Marcel's attempts to engage him in conversation.

More importantly, though, she noticed that Elijah seemed to have changed his tune from the last time they had dined together. He had eyes only for her, and instead of pretending not to notice her, this time he attempted to fully engage her in the conversation. Even when Marcel brought up stories about their old adventures, Elijah would aim the conversation directly at her, completely ignoring Marcel, and as if he meant to tell the story to her alone.

She had to admit, though, some of their stories were hilarious and she couldn't help but laugh along. "Are you sure we're talking about the same Elijah Mikaelson?" she would interject between laughs. The thought of Elijah being anything less than calm and composed in a clean, crisp suit was just too funny to pretend otherwise. Every time she'd laugh, she could see Elijah's eyes light up and his grin stretch even wider, as if the sound of her laughter pleased him immensely. And every time he did so, she'd feel that same jolt in her stomach.

Marcel seemed to be in exceptionally high spirits, most probably due to his delusion of Elijah accepting his offer. If it were any other person, she would probably feel a tinge of pity for the rejection she knew was about to come. But, she reminded herself, this was Marcel—pompous, condescending, and suffering from delusions of grandeur. He deserved to be knocked down a peg or two every once and a while. It would do wonders for his humility.

Their lunch hour was almost over when Marcel finally brought up the subject. Katherine looked on in interest, curious to see if Elijah would do what he'd told her he'd do.

"Marcel," Elijah started, finally addressing him directly for the first time. "I've taken your deal into thoughtful consideration." His eyes darted to Katherine's face for a quick second. "And I'm afraid Mikaelson Corp. is just not ready to accept your offer at this point in time. I do apologize."

Katherine glanced sideways to look at Marcel's reaction. His previously smiling face had at once transformed to radiate his discontent. He obviously wasn't pleased.

"Elijah," Marcel said after a moment, leaning into the table. His voice had a hard edge to it, though he was trying hard to conceal his anger. "I know you think you're doing what you think is best for the company, but I'm telling you, you're making a huge mistake. Your company is taking off and the best thing you can do for it is to trust someone like me to represent to it." He sat back in his chair again, an air of smugness suddenly washing over his face, before saying deliberately, "It's just a shame the company has to suffer as a result of an unwise decision. I'm sure if Klaus were here he'd agree with me."

"Marcel," Katherine admonished in a low voice. Sure, Marcel was a smug, obnoxious bastard on any given day, but since when did he stoop to insulting clients to their face?

Elijah looked wholly unaffected—bored, even. He looked to Katherine. "Don't worry, Ms. Gilbert. Unfortunately, such a reaction from your boss does not at all surprise me, especially after all these years." He aimed his gaze back at Marcel this time. "Marcellus," he said in a borderline patronizing tone. He took his time re-folding his napkin and then placing it back on the table."You know very well that I am the one who oversees all of the company's business operations and any business moves made by my company are _entirely_ up to my discretion." He stared straight at Marcel and Katherine could see the dangerous glint in his eye.

"Don't bother with your naive attempts to pit my brother against me, Marcel, because, I assure you, it won't work. It didn't work back then, and it certainly won't work now." Well, this story just got a lot more interesting, thought Katherine. "Klaus and I both trust each other fully with each of our assigned duties. Are you really so foolish as to believe that Klaus would ever side with you over me?" Elijah's condescension was unmistakable, now. Marcel looked like he was about to start up again before Elijah swiftly cut him off. "The partnership I have with my brother is unshakeable." He leaned in closer to the table. "And you'd be very wise to remember that."

Marcel narrowed his eyes and quickly stood up from the table. "Have it your way, then, Elijah," Marcel gritted out through his teeth. "But don't come running to me when you're company's in the shithole and you can't figure out how to fix it." He stalked out of the restaurant, not even caring that he'd left Katherine behind.

Katherine watched him stalk out of the restaurant and then slowly turned to look at Elijah. He was already staring straight at her, an entertained grin now shaping his mouth.

"Well, that was awkward."

"I agree," he replied.

"I don't think your friendship will ever recover."

"I'll get over it," he laughed.

She sat back and crossed her arms. This time, it was her turn to narrow her eyes at him. "You enjoyed all of that, didn't you?"

"Every last minute." His eyes held an uncharacteristic hint of mischief that she found entirely irresistible.

"Mr. Mikaelson, you shock me," she smirked.

"But are you pleased with me?"

"I'm afraid it would be unprofessional of me to say. He is my boss, after all."

"Yes, how could I forget. How terribly unfortunate for you, Ms. Gilbert," he laughed.

She smirked in response. "Well, since you already went ahead and made me a co-conspirator in this little—whatever the heck this was—I think I deserve to at least be on a first-name basis with you, wouldn't you agree, _Elijah_?" she said, the last part coming out as a challenge.

"I completely agree, _Katherine_," he matched. Damn that smile of his, she thought, and damn him for making her name sound like _that_.

She leaned forward again, resting her forearms on the tabletop. "You know, I didn't actually think you'd go through with it."

"What I told you that evening was the truth. I wouldn't lie to you, Katherine." How was it possible for him to make her name sound like that, dammit? This first-name basis thing was going to be a real bitch.

"Maybe not. But why would you even tell me what you were planning on doing in the first place? You knew me for what, all of five seconds?"

He chuckled before responding, "It was an hour and twenty minutes, to be precise," to which Katherine rolled her eyes.

"You're avoiding the question," she reminded him.

"What question?" So now, apparently, he wanted to play dumb.

"Why did you—"

"Oh yes, yes," he cut her off. "Why did I tell you?" He shrugged his shoulder. "Well, there's just something about you." She raised her eyebrows at that.

"Just something about me?" she repeated incredulously.

"Yes, just something about you." He said it as if it held the answers to all of her questions. When she gave him an unsatisfied look, he explained. "You're intelligent, I already knew that. And you're driven, because why else would Marcel be carting you around like some trophy. And you were making those little faces all throughout dinner, like if you had to hear one more word out of Marcel's mouth you were going to stab his hand with your salad fork." Her mouth opened in surprise.

For the record, she couldn't help the incriminating question that slipped out of her mouth next. She was usually so deliberate in what she chose to say, but his observation had caught her off guard.

"But you barely even looked at me that—" The rushed sentence died off at the end as she realized her slip-up.

"So you were looking at me." It wasn't a question, but more of a satisfied assertion.

She felt the heat rise to her face. Please God, let the makeup hide her blush. "You were sitting right in front me, Elijah." She rolled her eyes, attempting to correct her earlier mistake. "It would be hard not to notice you since you were directly in my line of vision. I'd have to be either blind or oblivious. Neither of which I am." She inwardly smirked when the satisfied look was wiped off his face.

"Of course," he agreed, diplomatically, lowering his eyes in slight embarrassment.

"Well, anyway, I should head back to work." She fished around in her purse and brought out her wallet.

"No, Katherine." Elijah raised his hand up to stop her from opening her wallet. "Lunch is on me, please." She looked at him for a small moment before conceding. After he placed a few bills down, she stood up and he followed. Wordlessly, they walked out of the restaurant—him ushering her out carefully with his hand on the small of her back. They made it onto the bustling sidewalk.

"Katherine," he said, turning to face her. The hand that was on her back now held her elbow gently, pulling her slightly to him as people rushed by them in a hurry. She was close enough to smell his woody-scented cologne.

She stared at him expectantly. He looked away, hesitating, before looking at her again. "Let me take you out." It was a question, and a plea, and an announcement all at once.

She wasn't surprised that this was coming, so why was her heart dancing to a wild rhythm when she heard him say it? She took a moment, but she might've taken a moment too long because soon she could feel Elijah start to pull away in what he assumed was a rejection. She stopped him, her hand flying to grab the hand that was letting go of her elbow. Both their hands were now caught mid-air in an odd embrace of fingers.

Brown eyes met brown. "OK," she nodded.

"OK?" he repeated, unsure.

"OK," she confirmed. She offered him a small smile.

He nodded his head. "OK." He finally allowed himself to laugh a little in relief. "Your number, then?" They swapped cell phones and exchanged their information.

After waving down a taxi for her, he pulled open the door to allow her inside of it. "I'll be seeing you then, Katherine." Their faces were just inches apart.

"Bye, Elijah." She slid past him and into the seat, smiling like a teenage girl the whole way back to work.

* * *

Klaus sat comfortably in one of the plush leather sofa chairs in his study. He was dressed comfortably in a beige henley and black pants, his shoes abandoned for sometime by the foot of his chair. His leg was folded across the other as he examined the file of documents he held in his lap. The centerpiece candlesticks were moved to the edge of the coffee table to make room for the rest of the documents spread out haphazardly across the tabletop. He held a pen between his fingers and every once in a while he'd use it to sign his name at the bottom of a document, which was then thrown into a designated pile on the table in front of him.

"Niklaus."

Klaus looked up distractedly to see his brother standing in the doorway, suit-clad and his briefcase still in hand. He must have just arrived home.

"Elijah." Klaus glanced down at his watch, not realizing how much time had passed in the windowless study. "I didn't realize how late it is."

Elijah took in the sight of Klaus surrounded by the scattered documents and walked further into the room. "What are you working on?"

Klaus sighed. "These bloody documents for the sale of the Palmer property. I've been reviewing them all day making sure everything is in order before we can sign with Walker Segal." Elijah nodded in understanding. They had recently snatched up a property that was for sale in an area of Chicago that was quickly on the rise to be becoming one of the city's most popular neighborhoods. At one point in time, the area had flourished with life and entertainment, though, like many other neighborhoods similar to it, hard economic times saw it fall slowly into disrepair. Only within these past few years was new life breathed into it once again. With investors like Mikaelson Corp., the area was sure to be restored to its former glory in no time.

The property was a former Victorian-era mansion that had somehow managed to survive the city's explosion of high rises and skyscrapers. This lonesome relic stood so startlingly out of place that one could not help but appreciate its stubborn tenacity—a vision into an era past that held all of the memories but barely any of its old substance. With the help of a design firm they would be working with soon, Klaus and Elijah planned to transform the decaying mansion into an upscale boutique hotel.

"Are you almost done with all of this?" asked Elijah.

"Yea, I shouldn't be much longer."

"Well, I'm cooking dinner if you want some."

Klaus raised his eyebrows in surprise. Both of them knew how to cook quite well, though they rarely did because of how busy they were. Elijah, especially, had forsaken the art of cooking in favor of using that time in the evening to tend to business matters. If they weren't eating out, they usually relied on their housekeeper, Teresa, to take care of such domestic duties.

"You're cooking?" Klaus asked dubiously.

"Yes, Niklaus. Try not to act so surprised." Elijah tried hard to suppress the smirk forming on his mouth upon seeing Klaus's look of confusion. "I'm going upstairs to change and then I'll be down in a minute to start on it. I'll call you when it's ready." And then, without saying anything else, Elijah turned on his heel and walked out the door, his dress shoes clacking rhythmically against the hardwood floors.

Klaus didn't think anything more of it until he wandered down the hall towards the kitchen half an hour later, finally putting aside his papers and giving in to the grumbling of his stomach. He scrunched his eyebrows at the sound of Elijah humming to an unknown tune. His back was turned to Klaus as he stirred something on the stove.

Klaus crossed his arms and leaned casually against the wall, watching the strange picture before him with entertained surprise. His brother was _humming_. Since when did his brother _hum_? Could it be that a girl was responsible for his prudish brother's light mood?

After a few minutes, Klaus eventually let out a fake cough to alert Elijah to his presence. Elijah's humming abruptly stopped and he turned to acknowledge Klaus.

"Good day, mate?" Klaus teased, a laugh escaping him. Elijah immediately turned a bright shade of red, and turned back around to the stove in an attempt to hide it.

"Same as any other day," Elijah said, nonchalantly. Liar, thought Klaus.

"Hmm, yes, I'm sure." The sound of Klaus's laughter was still apparent in his voice, letting Elijah know he didn't believe a word of it.

Elijah turned off the stove and brought the pot of boiling soup to the kitchen table. He gestured for Klaus to grab the remaining pan on the stove. Elijah turned back towards one of the kitchen cabinets to grab plates, bowls, and silverware.

They both sat down at the table and began helping themselves to the food, Klaus, all the while, eying his brother suspiciously.

"Dear heaven, Niklaus. What is it?" Elijah suddenly exclaimed, exasperated by Klaus's staring.

"Nothing, brother," Klaus laughed. "Nothing at all. Although you'll have to forgive me for finding it a bit suspicious that you suddenly decided to show off your culinary talent tonight."

"Since when did it become suspicious for a person to cook in their own home?"

"Certainly not suspicious for just any person, no. But definitely suspicious for you, big brother."

"Well, tonight is as good as any other to cook, Niklaus." Klaus could always tell when his brother was lying, owing to not only Klaus's cleverness but also to Elijah's pitiful skills in the art of deceit. "So, stop staring at me like you're trying to figure out my secrets."

"So you do have a secret, then?" Klaus pressed, half teasing and half curious as to what had put his brother in such a good mood.

Elijah flashed his eyes in warning. Oh yes, mused Klaus inwardly, this was most definitely over a girl.

"Fine, fine." Klaus raised his hands in mock surrender. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, mate," he laughed again. They both resumed their eating when Klaus continued, "So how did Marcel take your rejection today?"

Elijah couldn't help but chuckle at the memory of Marcel's angry face. "Oh, he took it quite well, if well includes puffing up like a blowfish and stalking out of the restaurant like an insolent child." Klaus threw his head back in laughter. Elijah, encouraged by his reaction, gave into the memory and laughed on. "Apparently he remains under the impression that you would rather side with him than me."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "He never changes." Klaus shook his head. "I hope you set him straight."

Elijah smirked. "Don't you worry about that, Niklaus."

"Well, I'm sure 'Bekah would be delighted to hear about it." Elijah chuckled in agreement. After their short-lived relationship, Rebekah was not Marcel's biggest fan. "How is she doing, anyway?" Klaus asked. Klaus could never be relied on to keep up regular communication with his siblings. That duty had always fallen to Elijah.

"She's well. I spoke to her yesterday. She said she'll be joining us for Thanksgiving with the boys. Stefan has to stay behind for work, though."

Klaus grinned. He might give his younger sister a hard time whenever he had the chance but, as his only sister, she was the closest to his heart. A few years ago, she finally married Stefan after a whirlwind, two-year romance and they were now living together in London. He was an American expatriate working for a British finance firm and they had met through a mutual friend, hitting it off immediately. Anyone who knew them, though, was well acquainted with the fact that they were as opposite as opposites could be: she was loud and outspoken where he was calm and reserved, she was reckless where he was level-headed. But they were undeniably in love, and they had two beautiful children to prove it: Henry, now two years old, and Theo, only 6 months old. Elijah and Klaus didn't get to see them often, but they made sure to spoil them as much as they could.

There was a pause before Elijah spoke up again. "Mother called yesterday, as well." It was as if all the air was vacuumed out of the room. Klaus visibly tensed but remained quiet. Elijah continued on, regardless. "She asked about you." Klaus still said nothing. "She asked that you'd return her calls."

Klaus's jaw ticked and his eyes flashed with barely restrained anger. "Well, since she insists on making you her messenger, how about you relay a message from me to her: I have no interest in having a relationship with her. Not now nor ever. As far as I'm concerned, I don't have a mother, anymore. And if she would stop calling the office, my secretary would be eternally grateful." Klaus abruptly pushed up from his chair and threw his napkin on the table. "Thanks for dinner," he added, tersely, before walking off in the direction of his study.

Elijah heaved a deep sigh, wondering if this madness would ever end. It seemed that the harder he tried to keep his family intact, the more they pulled apart from one another. He longed for the days when they were all a real family—him, his parents, Klaus, Rebekah, and Kol. There was a time when the mere thought of saying what Klaus had just uttered to him was not only unfathomable, but repulsive. And, yet, here they were, Klaus declaring he wanted nothing to do with his own mother. Somehow, somewhere along the line, it had all fallen apart, and Elijah was determined to fix it.

_AN: I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter! I know Caroline didn't make an appearance this chapter, but she'll have some interesting things happening to her in the next one, I promise. Also, for the record, in this story Stefan and Damon aren't related to each other. Just wanted to make that clear. But, anyway, yay for Kalijah! And, can anyone guess what's going on between Klaus and his mom?_

_P.S. Thank you to all who followed, favorited, or reviewed. I tried my best to respond to everyone who left a comment. You can't imagine how much each and every comment means to me. As I've probably already mentioned, this is the first story I've ever written-not just for Fanfiction, but for anything. I'm not really used to writing anything outside of academic papers for school, so you can imagine why writing this story makes me a little nervous. I'm in unchartered territory and I really hope I'm not screwing it up too bad. Anyway, I eagerly await to read what you all have to say about it!_


	5. Chapter 4: Not You Again

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Vampire Diaries, the Originals, or any of their respective characters.

**Chapter 4: Not You Again**

Caroline tapped her pen on her open notebook and pretended to review her notes while a few of her coworkers chatted idly beside her. They were all seated around the circular table in one of the conference rooms at Walker Segal, the Chicago design firm she transferred to not too long ago. They were waiting for their guests to arrive and the conference to begin.

Francesca Guerrera, her new supervisor at the firm, had compiled a team of employees, ranging from architects to interior designers, to work on the latest Mikaelson Corp. project: the restoration of a decaying mansion into an upscale hotel. Francesca would be the project manager and Caroline had been appointed as her assistant manager. Granted, this was one of Walker Segal's smaller accounts but, to Caroline, who had only been working at the firm for a few weeks, this would be her first serious project.

"They're here," murmured Jesse, who was sitting beside her. Caroline craned her head to the left in an attempt to see who was at the door. There were two men in suits, but she could only make out one of their faces since Francesca's head was blocking the view of the other. Francesca finally moved to the right and Caroline let out an inaudible gasp. Heat rose to her cheeks and she immediately slouched down in her chair, allowing the sight of herself to be hidden by the man seated next to her. Jesse shot her a puzzled look and she only shrugged lightly in response.

"Thank you all for being here, today," spoke Francesca. She was standing at the front of the room with the two men beside her. "Before we get started, I wanted to introduce Elijah and Klaus Mikaelson, co-partners of Mikaelson Corp., and whom most of you are already familiar with due to a long history of both our companies working together." Francesca smiled proudly.

Caroline leaned slightly forward to see who she assumed to be Elijah address the room. "Thank you, Francesca. It's a pleasure to be here," he said. "As most of you probably already know, our company demands excellence in each and every aspect of our business. So, it is no wonder that we would choose to work with Walker Segal for yet another time." A few people smiled and murmured their thanks. "This project is very dear to my brother and I, and we hope that you all will share in the joy and adventure of restoring this property's former beauty and life. We look forward to working with all of you."

Caroline, who had made sure the person beside her was still blocking the brothers' view of her throughout Elijah's speech, peered discreetly over her neighbor's shoulder to catch a glimpse of Elijah and his brother taking a seat at the head of the table.

The meeting was brief, and served only as an introduction to the property they would be working on together. From the way most of the questions about the intended creative direction were aimed at Klaus, Caroline gathered that he would be the one working most closely with their firm. The thought of that made her uneasy. She was finally getting back on her feet again and here was the one person who was witness to her most embarrassing moment in this new city.

The meeting soon ended and people slowly began to file out of the room. Only a few stayed behind to talk to either the brothers or Francesca. Caroline attempted to make a quick escape when she heard Francesca, who was in mid-conversation with someone, call out to her from behind. Caroline cringed and slowly turned back around, coming face-to-face with the stranger from that night.

He openly stared at her for a few beats before his eyes lit up in recognition and a grin spread across his face, making his dimples more pronounced. "It's you," he exclaimed. She bit her lip in hesitation.

"You two know each other?" asked Francesca, who had finished with her previous conversation and had moved closer to them.

"No," she exclaimed while he simultaneously responded, "Yes." Caroline turned red and Klaus's grin only got wider. Francesca and Elijah looked on in mixed curiosity and confusion.

"Barely," amended Caroline. "Not really." Klaus cocked an eyebrow at her.

Francesca shook her head in confusion and continued on, regardless. "Well, Klaus, Elijah, I want to introduce you to our new assistant project manager, Caroline Forbes. She just joined us a few weeks ago from Lockwood+Perry in Richmond and, I assure you, she'll far exceed your expectations."

"Oh, I'm sure she will," Klaus said, his grin still plastered to his face, as he shook her hand, ignoring the glare Caroline was shooting him.

Elijah shook her hand next. "Welcome to the team, Ms. Forbes," he said politely.

"Thank you." She smiled, now a little more at ease in the presence of Klaus's more mannered sibling. "I really look forward to working on this project." She made it a point to avoid looking at Klaus.

"Likewise," replied Elijah.

"Caroline will be helping me oversee the project, and she'll be handling more of the day-to-day affairs," explained Francesca. "So, Klaus, you'll probably be seeing a lot more of Caroline over the next few months." Fantastic, thought Caroline.

Klaus smirked. "I'm looking forward to it."

"Have you seen the property yet, Ms. Forbes?" Elijah inquired.

"I only had a chance to see some pictures we already had on file when I was doing some research on the property, but I haven't actually visited it yet."

"I'm afraid none of those pictures are going to do it due justice," Klaus offered. "If you're going to be working closely on this account, you're going to need a firsthand experience of the property." Caroline could already sense what he was hinting at before he even said the words. "I would be more than happy to give you a personal tour." Was that mischievous glint a permanent fixture in his eyes or was she just imagining things?

"I agree, Klaus," replied Francesca. "Everyone else has already had a chance to visit the property and, anyway, they'll be filtering in and out of there as needed over the next few months." She turned her focus on Caroline. "Caroline, Klaus is right. It would probably be best if you took a tour of the property as soon as possible to better acquaint yourself with it." Caroline, distracted by Klaus's pleased grin, couldn't find the right words to say, and so just nodded.

After scheduling a day later in the week for a visit and after a few more pleasantries, she took her leave of them and made her way out of the room and into the hall. She picked up her pace, wanting to put more space between herself and the newly-introduced guests. Her second attempt at a quick escape that day was cut short yet again, however.

"Caroline!" She suppressed a groan of annoyance and turned in the direction of the voice. Klaus was walking faster to catch up with her.

"Mr. Mikaelson," she said, coolly.

He came to stand in front of her. "Caroline, I'm quite sure we're past formalities at this point. I mean, it really wasn't that long ago that you jumped into my arms that night," he insisted.

Her eyes widened. "Stop doing that that," she replied, indignantly. She looked around to see if anyone standing nearby had heard him.

"Doing what, love?" he asked, innocently.

"Making it sound like it was something sexual just so you can get a rise out of me," she gritted. "It's not going to work."

"But it's the truth, sweetheart. You jumped my bones." She swore he looked like the devil himself.

"I did not jump—." She shook her head in an attempt to calm herself down. He was teasing her on purpose and there was not a chance she was going to fall for it again."Ugh, you know what? Nevermind. You're unbelievable." She made a move to walk past him. She'd only met this guy twice, and both times he'd managed to successfully anger her to the point of storming off.

He stepped to the side to block her retreat. "Wait, Caroline. I'm only teasing you. Have a sense of humor."

She rolled her eyes. "I have a great sense of humor. You're just not funny."

"Rolling with the insults, I see. But don't you worry, love. I can take it."

"Stop calling me 'love.'"

His dimples deepened with his stretching smirk. "Don't be cross, sweetheart."

"Or 'sweetheart,'" she insisted.

As much as her annoyance with him amused him, he felt an inexplicably strong urge to lighten her mood. This was not exactly how he'd planned this conversation to go, so instead of another cheeky retort, he replied, "Caroline, I fear we've gotten off on the wrong foot. How about we start again?" He stuck his hand out to shake. "Hello, Caroline Forbes. I'm Klaus Mikaelson. It's lovely to meet you."

She looked down at his hand and then back up at the eager expression on his face. She narrowed her eyes at him, unsure of whether she should trust his split-second personality change. She glanced down at his hand again and, after a few long moments of consideration, she slowly brought her hand up to meet his.

"Hello, Klaus. It's nice to meet you, too," she reluctantly greeted him. His mouth split into a grin, happy for the second chance.

"Niklaus," Elijah called to him from behind. Caroline dropped his hand instantly and both of them turned to see Elijah standing at the end of the hallway waiting for his brother.

Klaus pursed his lips in annoyance and turned his head back around to face Caroline. "It seems we must now part ways, Caroline. I'll see you on Thursday, then." The soft smile that had returned to his lips captured her gaze for a moment before she looked back up to meet his stare.

"See you Thursday." With one last small nod in response, she turned back around and continued her walk down the hall to her office, choosing not to think about a particular man's stare watching her walk away from him.

Upon seeing her disappear down the hall, Klaus finally turned around and walked back over to his waiting brother. "Niklaus, what on earth has gotten into you?" asked Elijah once Klaus stood near him. Elijah had little tolerance for any behavior that was even remotely unprofessional. "How do you know that woman?"

Klaus sighed and walked on towards the elevator, leaving Elijah to follow behind him. "I don't know her," he answered. "At least, not really. We met briefly a while ago. I didn't even know her name until just now." He pushed the button for the elevator.

"Well, then I trust you to keep things fully professional, Niklaus," Elijah said with a hint of warning in his voice.

"I am the picture of professional, Elijah," he quipped.

Elijah didn't back down. "Oh really, brother? Is that why you were openly flirting with a woman who is basically your employee _in front_ of her employer, at her place of business, no less?"

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Oh, big brother, quit being so dramatic." He turned to Elijah with a wicked grin. "You know, I've quite liked the new Elijah that I've seen these past few weeks. That Elijah hums, cooks. He even cracks a funny joke every now and again. I was really hoping your new self would be more permanent." Klaus smirked as his brother went red in the face.

Elijah turned towards the elevators doors. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Niklaus," he finally forced out.

"Yea, I thought so," laughed Klaus.

* * *

Caroline brushed a couple of her fingers across the dusty wooden banister. Her eyes followed the circular spiral of the staircase up to where it ended at the second floor and to where it began again in its ascent to the third floor. Many of the steps were either rotted through or stripped entirely of their wood, creating a checkerboard pattern of light and dark colored wood.

She walked further into the mansion, her fingers lightly grazing the wall as she walked. She peered up at the stained-glass windows lining the upper wall of the long hallway. The late afternoon light filtered colorfully through the glass images, most of which were distorted by missing or broken pieces. The transparent blues and reds danced on the right side of her face as her slowly moving form walked the length of the hallway.

She gasped when she turned the corner, stepping into a room fit to be a ballroom. Tall, wood-framed glass doors lined the walls of the massive oval-shaped room. An old grand piano was cast carelessly to one side and surrounded by a scant few pieces of broken and dusty furniture.

Caroline tilted her head back to peer up at the high, rib-vaulted ceiling arched majestically over her head. What was left of the paint decor was faded or peeling and a large, crystal chandelier hung from the center, though its disrepair looked near unsalvageable.

The sight of the room brought unexpected tears to her eyes and the aching in her chest swelled. The distant memory of its former beauty reignited her senses in the same way one unexpectedly stumbles across a folded note hidden between the pages of a long-forgotten book. It is only found again because it was never intended to be found in the first place.

Maybe it was chance or by some organized fate that she was standing there in that moment, inhaling the musty scent of a disfigured memory that was not even hers to recall. It was all dirty, broken, and scarred and she didn't think it possible to love it anymore than she already did. It was sad and shattered, any hint of its former greatness long buried under a thick film of dust and chipped away with age and circumstance. It was the material embodiment of herself—lonely, decaying, cracked and, yet, still managing to survive despite its long list of ailments. It was her and she was it, and she never thought anyone, let alone anything inanimate, could understand her sorrows so perfectly. A lump rose in her throat and more tears rolled silently down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry that took so long," she heard from behind her. Her heart stopped for moment in surprise.

Caroline hurriedly swiped the wetness from her cheeks and took a deep breath, not turning to face him as he came to stand right beside her. Her long hair framed the sides of her face, making it difficult for him to see her expression.

"How do you like it so far?" he asked, anxious for her response. Klaus had received an important phone call just as he'd let her into the building and he'd signaled for her to take a look around as he finished up with the call. He had wanted to witness her first reaction to the property and was irritated when the phone call deprived him of the opportunity.

She took a deep breath to steady her shaking nerves. "I think it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," she whispered, not trusting her voice not to crack. She smiled sadly and finally turned to face him, discovering his inquiring gaze fixed intently upon her.

"Caroline, are you alright?" he asked softly, concerned when he saw her red-rimmed eyes and the remnants of tears glistening on the tops of her cheeks. He didn't think twice when he raised the pads of his thumbs to wipe away the wetness under her eyes. Caroline's breath caught in her throat and her eyelids instinctively fluttered closed at the gentle contact, her long eyelashes creating a shadowed pattern across her skin. He felt a tug on his heart at the sight of her angelic features so obviously marred by a sadness he couldn't understand.

As he pulled his hands away, he gently brushed some of her falling hair to the side, trailing his fingers down the length of her golden waves to where they ended below her shoulders. She could feel her heart beating wildly.

When he fully pulled away, she snapped open her eyes and took a step back from him, clearing her throat unnecessarily.

"I'm fine. I think I got a little bit of dust in my eyes, that's all," she lied, hoping to brush her embarrassment away in the process. The concern on his face didn't fade and his blue eyes remained trained on her. She bit her lip in response to the intensity of his gaze.

"Now, I believe you promised me a personal tour. I did hear that part right, didn't I?" she asked, breaking the moment and attempting to change the subject. She shot him her best smile.

He took the hint and repaid her with a smirk of his own. "That you did, sweetheart." He winked at her when he saw her scowl at the nickname.

"Well then, lead the way. I'm your dutiful follower for the day."

"Be careful, love. I could get used to that," he teased, eliciting a small laugh from her in response. The tinkling of her voice echoed throughout the room and he found himself entranced by the sound.

"The tour, Mikaelson," she reminded, effectively snapping him out of his reverie.

"Right, well since we're on the first floor, how about we start at the front entrance and work our way from there," he suggested.

"Sounds good to me," she nodded with a smile. "Show me the way."

* * *

"Hello, Rebekah," Elijah greeted into his cell phone.

"Hello, 'Lijah. Am I interrupting anything?" Rebekah asked. It was the middle of his work day, which she often forgot to consider because of the time difference.

"No, no, sister. Just answering some emails. How was your day?"

As if on queue, she let out an audible yawn. "Exhausting. Henry came down with a cold last night and it took all my power today to keep him from coming anywhere near Theo. One sick child is plenty, thank you very much."

"How is he feeling now?"

"Better. I gave him some medicine just now and Stefan is putting him to bed. I finally have a few moments alone so I thought I'd give you a ring. How are you doing?"

"I'm well. This week has been pretty hectic, actually. Niklaus and I signed a contract with a design firm a few days ago to begin work on the Palmer property."

"Is that the old mansion you were telling me about?"

"Yea, that's one," he answered. "Anyway, I was buried in paperwork for the better part of this week because of it."

"Ugh, that sounds awful," she replied, horrified at the prospect.

He chuckled. "It's not that bad. I'm used to it."

"How's Nik? I've been playing phone tag with him all week. I have a closer relationship with his voicemail than I do with him, " she complained.

"He's fine. He's just busy with this new acquisition. This week was a big one and I'm sure he's about to get a lot busier."

"Fantastic," she responded sarcastically. She paused a moment before continuing, "He's still not speaking to Mother, you know."

"I'm aware," he replied, shortly. The topic of their estranged family members was beginning to grate on his nerves.

"She still won't tell me what they're fighting about. Has he said anything to you?"

"The last time I mentioned Mother in front of him he nearly bit my head off, so suffice it to say he isn't exactly forthcoming with such information," he said, annoyed.

"What has gotten into the two of them? It has to be something colossal or else it wouldn't have gone on for this long," she reasoned.

He let out a tired sigh. "I don't know, Rebekah. I honestly have no idea. Let's change the subject, I beg you."

"Fine," she conceded. "How's your love life?"

"Rebekah," he groaned.

"What?" she asked innocently. "You asked me to change the subject."

"Yes, but to a more agreeable topic of conversation and I don't consider my love life an agreeable topic of conversation."

"Elijah!" she insisted. "I am your only sister. It is my duty to ask you about these things. You're not in your twenties anymore and heaven knows you're not cut out to be a bachelor for the rest of your life. You have to take these things seriously!"

He sighed again and lifted his eyes to the ceiling, willing himself to be patient. "What about my love life do you want to know, Rebekah?" He figured he might as well give in now and save himself the trouble later. She was the most relentless woman he knew and he was powerless against her.

"Well, for starters, are you dating?"

"As a matter of fact, I am." He offered her no further explanation.

"Well…?" she led, impatiently.

"Well what?"

"_Well_, who is she? How did you meet her? Is it serious?" she rattled off.

"Her name is Katherine and she works for Marcel. I met her at a business dinner and we have our first date tomorrow night," he answered.

"Hold on a moment. Marcel? As in, Marcel Gerard?"

"The one and the same."

"Ugh, Elijah. What on earth were you doing with that cretin?"

"He wanted me to sign with his firm."

"Tell me you didn't."

"Of course not, sister" he replied, offended she'd ever doubt his judgement. "No focus, Rebekah."

"Right. So she works for Marcel. I'm going to go ahead and assume she's nothing like him."

He hummed in agreement.

"So what's she like?" she asked. She was curious about the woman who'd interested her brother long enough for him to agree to ask her out.

Elijah swiveled around in his chair to face the tall windows behind him offering a view of downtown Chicago. He leaned back, scratching his fingers along his jaw and allowing himself a moment to think over his sister's question.

"She's beautiful," he began, "and intelligent, and strong, I think. I don't know her well, yet, though."

A knowing smile tugged at Rebekah's lips. His description may not have been much, but it was more than she'd ever gotten from him before, and that had to mean something.

"You said your first date is tomorrow?"

"Yes. I'm talking her to dinner."

"Where?"

"Jardiniére."

"Ooh, how posh. Pulling out the big guns, are we? She must be some kind of girl," she teased.

"Rebekah," he warned in jest.

"Alright, alright. No more teasing." She let out a loud yawn.

"It's time for you to go to bed, 'Bekah. You're exhausted."

"Alright, but you better remember all the details about the date because I'm calling you first thing the next morning."

He chuckled at her persistence. "As you wish, sister. Give my regards to Stefan. Goodnight."

"I will. 'Night, Elijah. I love you," she mumbled tiredly, barely able to keep her eyes open.

He smiled. "Love you, too, Rebekah," he answered softly before ending the call.

* * *

"I think I'm in love," she said, dreamily. He looked puzzled by her declaration. "With the property," Caroline laughed. "I'm in love with the property."

They stood at the top of the stairs on the third floor, having slowly worked their way up there after touring the bottom two floors in their entirety. They had wandered in and out of rooms all afternoon, with Klaus offering up new pieces of history as they went. She had clung to his every word, getting carried away by his voice and the way his eyes lit up every time he spoke.

"Ah, yes. That would make two of us, then," he agreed. "I felt exactly the same way the first time I saw it. I was so overcome by its beauty that right then and there I made the promise to do everything in my power to save it. Nothing so extraordinary should ever be allowed to waste away like that." He looked straight at her then and she felt her heart clench.

"That's the thing though, isn't it?" She moved her gaze to focus on something behind him. "I mean, I don't know what it used to be like, but I look around now and I can imagine that it was great once. I imagine it was a real sight to behold," she smiled up at him, "but all you see now is broken wood and peeling plaster. It's all just so hopeless and I don't think I've ever seen anything sadder than that." Tears sprung to her eyes and she turned her back on him to grasp the staircase railing a few steps ahead, peering down at the vast expanse of the first floor. Regaining her voice, she continued, "It'll keep crumbling until nothing remains and soon all you're left with is a memory of what it once was. It was _once_ great, it was _once_ beautiful, but not anymore and maybe not ever again. There's a certain beauty in that sadness, don't you think?" she asked, softly.

He took in the sight of her standing tall, golden waves cascading down her back and her hands on either side of her gripping the staircase railing, and he was immediately struck by the notion that she resembled a queen peering down at her subjects from above. She looked regal, though he noted the slight slump in her shoulders that deepened with the weight of her words.

He moved closer toward her. Something about the despair in her voice left an unsettling feeling in his gut.

"But you've missed the point entirely, Caroline," he said, shaking his head behind her though she couldn't see him. "It's not just that it was once beautiful that makes it worth saving. It's that even after all these years that it's been left to wither away, it's still bursting at the seams with life." He was by her side now, though instead of facing the bottom floors like she was, his back was leaning against the railing and he was facing her. One of the hands that gripped the railing behind him brushed softly against hers. "This," he gestured with a sweep of his other arm, "was never supposed to be its fate. Once upon a time, it was built destined for greatness and once upon a time the insides of these walls did see greatness. But due to unintended circumstances it all...fell apart, somehow. And yet, despite all of this, here it still stands." She peered up at him through her wilted eyes.

"You're right," he said softly this time. "Any ordinary person might take one look at it and declare it hopeless. Unsalvageable. But that's not what I see, Caroline." His brow furrowed as he shook his head. "I look around and I know the state that it's in now will only be temporary, because when I close my eyes, I can feel its spirit still very much alive. That spirit may be broken and trampled upon, yes, but it has survived regardless and that, to me, is all the reason I need to save it." The last part shot through her heart like a searing bullet. His words held a significance of which even he couldn't understand the true extent.

She wasn't sure how they ended up so close to one another or why. Perhaps it was a result of the heightened emotions inspired by his profound declaration, or perhaps it was the sight of the taut muscles exposed near his neck that accelerated the beating of her heart and drew her closer to him. Either way, one second he was brushing away a strand of fallen hair from her eyes and the next second their faces were slowly moving towards each other—both matched in a pair of held breaths and hammering hearts. They were so close she could feel the ghost of his breath on her lips.

Their mouths were only centimeters apart when, in perfect timing, his phone let out a shrill ring. Snapping out of their trance, they both jumped apart. Caroline took a few steps back.

"I should go," she murmured, softly. Disappointment was etched clearly on his features but he nodded reluctantly in response.

She strode over to the staircase steps, turning around again to say, "Thank you for the tour, Klaus. It was incredible." She didn't wait to hear his response when she turned back around and began her downward descent.

She could still hear her heart pounding in her ears and she cursed herself for being so stupid. Everything about what they were just going to do was wrong on so many levels that she had no idea where to begin. She didn't even want to begin to imagine the kind of mess she'd be in right now if his phone hadn't gone off like it did.

As she got further away, she could faintly make out his voice murmuring something into his phone. Her feet, clad in ballet flats, barely ghosted over the steps in her haste to be out of the building. She wanted to forget about what just happened, and the faster she got out of there, the faster she could do so.

* * *

Klaus remained rooted to the same spot. His hand mechanically ended the call from his driver letting him know he was parked out front.

He had followed Caroline with his eyes the whole way down the stairs and until she'd shut the front door behind her. Deep down, he knew that what they had just been about to do wasn't right, or even professional, but there was just something about her that drew him to her. The fire he'd seen in her on the first night they'd met, and again at the office, had been replaced today with a certain desolation she seemed to accept resolutely and with a calmness that told of the resignation she had to her fate.

When she had spoken earlier about the beauty in sadness, he swore he'd never seen anything look as beautiful as she did in that moment. He wanted to get to know her, mainly because he wanted to understand why he was so enthralled by this singular woman.

He shook his head to rid his mind of the thoughts, remembering Elijah's warning from earlier. As much as he hated to admit it, his brother was right. He was a professional and he needed to keep it that way.

* * *

_AN: Hope you liked it! I promised you last time that there would be more Caroline and Klaus to come and I hope I didn't disappoint. I love these two so much, though I found writing them to be a bit tricky. _

_A huge thank you to everyone who followed, favorited, and/or reviewed last time. I love getting every new alert. I believe I responded to everyone who has reviewed so far. Again, I really look forward to the reviews. I'm kind of a junkie now because they mean so much to me. So please don't forget to follow, favorite, or review if you haven't already. Thank you!_


	6. Chapter 5: Soulful Encounter

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Vampire Diaries or the Originals.

**Chapter 5: Soulful Encounter**

Elijah anxiously drummed his fingers on the crisp, white tablecloth. He strained his eyes under the dim lighting to make out the dark figures gradually trickling through the restaurant's entrance, disappointed when each passing person turned out to be other than the dark-haired woman whose arrival he was awaiting. He was completely oblivious to the priceless view offered to him by the windows to his side, only interested in seeking out the face of one woman. His drumming fingers picked up their pace.

Elijah was early, having arrived ahead of time to speak to the owner and head chef, both with whom he had developed close ties to since the restaurant's conception. Jardiniére was one of Mikaelson Corp.'s first business ventures, even before Klaus had moved to the United States and their partnership had begun. It was only after the sale of this restaurant and its subsequent success that Elijah's business began to take off and he felt himself to be enough on solid ground to ask his brother to come join him in a co-partnership. Jardiniére was the springboard for every ounce of success and happiness he had today.

The sentimentality he held for the restaurant, more than the fact that it's beauty evaded the senses, was the reason he chose it for tonight. Something about Katherine made him want to make tonight mean more than just a fancy restaurant with expensive wine.

"She will come, Señor Elijah," said Marty, the head waiter, sensing the patron's unspoken anxiety and offering him an assurance he hadn't even known he'd needed. Marty's thick Spanish accent interrupted Elijah's musings as he refilled his glass of water. Marty offered him the knowing look of a man who had seen and known enough people to make him qualified to offer up such certainties.

Elijah smiled up at him. "Thank you, Marty."

His drumming, though, continued when Marty left him alone again and Elijah turned his stare once more to the entrance. He had insisted he would pick her up from her home and she had insisted she would meet him there, instead. He had eventually given in, though part of him regretted that decision now that he was attacked by doubts of her actually showing up tonight. He was second-guessing his forwardness in asking her out as he contemplated the possibility of her laughing him off and standing him up on this date.

These thoughts vanished as soon as he spotted her stepping through the entrance. His hand stilled and his mouth went dry as he took her in. She was admiring what she could see of the restaurant from her spot at the entrance. He watched from afar as her eyes widened upon spotting the large tree in the center of the restaurant, it's thick base giving way to expansive branches that created a canopy where they reached the ceiling.

She tore her eyes away from the tree after a few long moments and scanned the room for him. Upon locating him, she took leave of the hostess and made her way in his direction. He couldn't help admire her body dressed in a black mesh, off-the-shoulder dress that clung to her every curve and stopped mid-thigh. Strappy, black heels accentuated her long and exposed legs.

He brought his eyes back up to look at her face, a sight that mesmerized him and left him wanting to never look at anything but that ever again. Her dark waves were brushed behind her shoulders to reveal dangling, gold earrings whose color was muted due to the lack of light. Her already dark eyes, traced subtly with black liner, stared directly into his as she made her way towards him.

Elijah stood from his seat when she began to near him.

"Hello, Elijah," she greeted with a small smile.

"Hello, Katherine." He stepped forward and kissed her lightly on the cheek, his fingers lightly grazing the skin of her arm. "You look beautiful," he said as he pulled back.

"Thank you," she smiled. "You don't look so bad yourself."

Elijah stepped aside to pull out her chair. "Thanks," she murmured. Katherine sunk herself into the chair and placed her clutch on the edge of the table. Elijah moved back around the table to take his seat.

"Thank you for coming, Katherine," Elijah said, just as Marty approached them with a bottle of red wine.

He showcased the bottle to the seated diners. "From the owner, Señor Mikaelson," Marty announced.

"That's very kind. Thank you, Marty, and please thank Thomas for me."

"Of course, Señor."

Marty unscrewed the cork and proceeded to fill up their respective glasses. Elijah kept his eyes trained on Katherine, watching her observe Marty. The warm light softened her features and her eyes shined.

Marty took leave of them.

"I take it you've been here before, then," Katherine remarked.

"Yes, I have. This was one of my first projects with the company, actually."

"Really?"

"Yes. It was a long time ago, but it's still my favorite by far."

"Why is this one your favorite? I mean, not that it's not beautiful or anything, but you've worked on so many greater places."

"You're right," he agreed. "There are greater ones, and of course I like some more than others, but I'm particularly fond of this one for purely sentimental reasons."

He continued his explanation when he was met with her inquisitive stare. "When I first started the company," he explained, "I had a bit of a slow start. I had been in the States for quite some time by then, and I still had yet to cement my place in the business world. I really wanted to make something of myself outside of my family and my old life." He swirled the wine around in his glass.

"I know the feeling," Katherine responded, a faraway look coming into her eyes before quickly vanishing, though not gone unnoticed by Elijah. She lifter her own glass of wine to her lips and took a sip, licking her lips afterward and then asking, "So, how did you end up finding this place, anyway?"

"It was by chance, actually. A friend of mine was going through the process of liquidating some assets, and this building happened to be one of them. I didn't think twice before putting up an offer to buy it. The company had profited from some past ventures and I had just enough to buy this place. It was the biggest impulse buy you could imagine, and on top of that, if this failed, we would have been officially done for." Elijah paused for a moment, remembering this crucial time in his life. He let out a low chuckle. "I don't think I'd ever worked so hard in my life to see something succeed."

Marty interrupted them at that point to take their orders and refill their glasses.

"So, the stakes were high," she observed, steering their conversation back on track once Marty had left.

He nodded his head. "That would be the understatement of the century. At the time, I felt like the rest of my future depended on this one project. If this didn't work out, I wouldn't have had any capital left to move forward with the company. It all would have ended before it had even started and that thought terrified me." His brow knitted in memory of his past turmoil. "It was that fear that pushed me to make something of this place."

"Sometimes it takes a little risk to get the reward in the end."

"Yes, it does." He stared straight at her as he spoke the words, as if they were meant specifically for her. Could it be that he considered her a risk? If he knew anything about her, his doubts about her probably wouldn't be entirely misplaced, she thought with a hint of bitterness.

"I've talked much too long," he said, breaking the brief silence. "I asked you out tonight so I could get to know you, not talk your ear off," he said, abashed by his own rambling.

"No, don't worry about it. I like hearing about it," she admitted, truthfully. "Everyday, I'm surrounded by people at the top who've already made it and they rarely talk about how hard it was to get there."

A mischievous glimmer entered her eyes then. She leaned forward conspiratorially and spoke in a hushed voice, "Besides, I kinda like knowing that there was some blood and sweat to stain those expensive suits of yours." The lit candles on the table created dancing shadows that flickered across her smirking face.

Elijah was momentarily stunned by her bold remark—surprised and thrilled all the same. He was cut off from replying when Marty arrived with their orders.

"This looks delicious. Thank you," Katherine said to Marty, jumping in when Elijah didn't say anything.

"Thanks," mumbled Elijah, a moment too late, only now coming back to awareness when he heard Katherine speak. Katherine laughed silently into her glass of wine.

* * *

"So, where did you say you were from again?" the girl with the ombré hair asked with an uninterested drawl for the third time that night. What was her name again? Alexis? Alexa?

"Mystic Falls, Virginia," Caroline responded, and upon the blank look on the other girl's face, she added, "It's about a half an hour outside of Richmond." The girl nodded at the mention of the familiar city and proceeded to take another sip of her fruity cocktail. Caroline inwardly rolled her eyes at the girl's dimness and cursed Jesse for leaving her alone with this one.

As the girl busied herself with the cell phone she'd just pulled out of her miniature-sized purse, Caroline took a moment to look around the bar. Jesse had invited her to come out with some other co-workers. She had resisted at first, not feeling up to making small talk with people she barely knew, but Jesse had convinced her it would be a good idea to get to know the people she would be working with closely.

That was how she found herself here, propped up on a wooden barstool attempting to make conversation with the receptionist from two floors up and who also happened to be dating one of the project architects. Jesse had been keeping her company for most of the night until he'd been pulled into conversation with someone else.

She was beginning to seriously rethink coming tonight. She hadn't been out like this since before her mother's funeral, never having the time to do so while her mother was ill and not having the stomach for it after her mother was gone. At a time in her life when being alone with herself was already too much of a crowd, a gathering like this one aroused in Caroline a terrible sensation of suffocation.

It was a nice bar, at least, she observed in an attempt to distract herself from the thoughts that threatened to consume her. It was a busy night and it had gotten a lot crowdier since they had arrived an hour earlier. There were clusters of people all crowded together, everyone belonging to a group and only a few there alone and sitting at the bar nursing their drinks.

Caroline sipped on her rum and coke as she took in the rustic, vintage feel of the place. The bar area was made of a dark wood and was complemented by the deep red paint of the walls. A series of large glass globes serving as light fixtures hung low, providing additional lighting to the inlaid lights on the ceiling.

Jesse was standing off to the side, still immersed in conversation with one of the guys she recognized from the team. Every now and again he'd look over to her and send her a smile, which only had the adverse effect of making her want to flee back home and not go through with the rest of this night.

Caroline snapped out of her reverie at the sound of someone to her left. "Bored out of your mind yet?" Caroline looked at the unfamiliar girl who'd plopped down next to her on the now-vacant barstool, which had just previously been occupied by the sleazy guy who'd been attempting to hit on her for the better part of the last half hour.

The girl had chestnut colored hair, which was pin-straight and fell to her shoulders, and vivid green eyes. She wore skinny black pants with a beige jacket and a white camisole below it.

"No," Caroline lied, quickly. The girl shot her a dubious look. "Okay, yes. A little." Caroline laughed at the amused look on the girl's face.

"Yea, well I don't blame you. Alexa over there could make anyone want to stick needles in their eyes." So Alexa was the girl's name. "A conversation with a wall would probably be more satisfying. I'd say you're faring considerably well, though." Caroline laughed again.

"I'm Cece." She stuck out her hand to shake.

"Caroline." Caroline put her hand in hers and shook. "I'm sorry, I don't remember being introduced earlier," sheepishly admitted Caroline.

"That's because I just got here," replied Cece. "And we've never met before, if that's what you're wondering. I work on the first floor in marketing."

"I guess that would explain why I've never seen you before. I still don't know half the people on my own floor yet let alone everyone else."

"Don't fret it," Cece said with a careless wave of her hand. "You don't really start getting to know people until you work with them on projects. Just give it a little time and you'll know most everyone."

Caroline smiled. "I'll take your word for it."

Cece swiveled around on her barstool to face Caroline. "So, how are you liking it so far? Jesse told me you transferred here from Virginia."

"I'm liking it a lot, actually." Caroline brushed some hair behind her ear. "It's a lot different from Virginia. I'm still getting used to how fast-paced everything is over here."

"I bet," Cece replied. "Where in Virginia are you from?"

"Mystic Falls, just outside of Richmond." It wasn't annoying to answer that question when the person asking it actually seemed interested in the answer.

"Oh, nice. Most of my family lives in Charlottesville. I used to love going back there on my summer breaks as a kid."

"I love Charlottesville," responded Caroline. "I went to college at UVA. Some of my best memories are there," she explained, fondly. Her mind flitted to the thought of Elena, her best friend and college roommate of four years. They had been inseparable since childhood, and now they were hundreds of miles of apart. "So you're not from Virginia then?"

"Well, actually, I was born in Charlottesville. Both of my parents are from there. But a few years after they had me, my dad got a job offer in Chicago and my family moved here. It's only my immediate family in Chicago, though. Everyone else is back in Charlottesville."

"Well, you're the first person I've met so far besides my roommate who has any ties to Virginia. I have to say, it's pretty refreshing," she laughed. A large part of her heart would always be tied to her life back in Mystic Falls. It would always be a part of who she was.

"Glad to be of service," Cece joked. "But, seriously, I know the feeling. City life here is so much different than life over there. I'm sure you've already discovered it, but people are definitely not as nice here as they are over there."

Caroline chuckled. "Believe me, I figured that out really fast." She took a sip of her drink.

"You eventually get used to it, though. Everyone is in a rush here and everything is always on a schedule," Cece explained. "But you're lucky enough to work with designers and architects who are much more relaxed." Caroline nodded in understanding.

"Don't get me wrong, though," Cece rushed to correct. "It's still fast-paced and everything is scheduled down to the dot, but the environment is much more forgiving and it's still much different than the white-collar corporate world. It probably has to do with the fact that we're in the business of creativity."

"Yea, I completely understand. I don't think I'm cut out for a white-collar job like that, to be honest. I love what I do. I love that everything is so hands-on and that I get to work with people who are creating something great."

"I know what you mean. It's pretty satisfying." Cece waved down the bartender for a refill. Once he slid the drink over to her, she turned back to Caroline. "So have you been assigned any projects yet?"

"Yea, the Palmer property."

"The one owned by Mikaelson Corp.?"

Caroline nodded. "Yea, that's the one."

"Have you met the brothers yet?"

Caroline's face flushed as a certain memory of one of said brothers entered her mind, though it was thankfully hidden by the dim lighting of the bar.

"Yea, both of them actually," Caroline responded. "They came into the office earlier in the week to give a brief introduction to the team." She purposefully didn't mention her meeting with Klaus yesterday afternoon.

"You'll like working with them. They're quite the pair," said Cece, as if reminiscing on a memory.

"You know them?" Caroline asked, her curiosity peaked.

"Yea," answered Cece, bringing her drink to her lips. She took a long sip from the black straw and placed it back on the bartop. "I worked on a few of the past accounts they've had with us. I've gotten to know the both of them pretty well, actually. Maybe Klaus a little more," Cece amended. Caroline could only bring herself to nod, which seemed to be the only encouragement Cece needed to continue.

"Elijah is all business and very formal. He's kind, but don't underestimate his ability to get what he wants." A smile then formed on Cece's lips. "And Klaus...he's fantastic—incredibly intense, but really amazing once you see him work. He pays attention to every miniscule detail, which can be annoying sometimes," she laughed, "but I prefer that to someone who only cares about getting the job done as quickly as possible."

"You sound like you really admire them," Caroline added, feeling the need to mask her eagerness about what Cece had to say about them by including a remark of her own.

"I do," agreed Cece. "They're an amazing pair who deserve being looked up to. It's not everyday that you find two people who are genuine about what they do and work so well with one another."

"All this talk about them is making me excited to begin working with them," Caroline admitted, genuinely.

"Who are we talking about, ladies?" Jesse asked from behind them, having finished with his other conversation. Both girls turned behind them to look at him.

"The Mikaelson brothers," answered Cece.

"Let me guess. Elijah is _so_ handsome in those suits and Klaus is just so _dreamy_ with his mysterious looks," Jesse imitated in his best teenage girl impression.

"No need to be jealous, Jesse," joked Cece with a laugh. "It's alright to admit how much you love to look at them. It takes a true man to say it out loud." She winked at Caroline who only chuckled in response.

"Caroline, don't let Cece here fool you," said Jesse with a smirk. "She's been half in love with the both of them since she met them." He turned to look at Cece. "Tsk, tsk, Cece. What would your fiance think?" he cracked.

"Hey!" Cece playfully jabbed her elbow into Jesse's stomach. "I will never stop appreciating the beauty of the male form. And what John doesn't know won't hurt him." Jesse threw his head back in laughter and Caroline watched the two interact with a smile of her own.

Jesse put his arm around Cece in a friendly embrace and pointed his gaze at Caroline. "I'm holding out hope for Caroline, though. Hopefully she won't fall for their charm like every other woman on this planet has. These guys are bad for business," Jesse said in a mock tone of seriousness.

Caroline's heart rate picked up its pace. "You don't need to worry about me," she said with a small smile, half wanting to believe her own words and half knowing they were a lie.

Cece sensed the other girl's discomfort. "Don't take him seriously, Caroline. Jesse just can't handle the greatness that is the Mikaelson brothers."

Caroline only managed to let out a short chuckle as Jesse guffawed at Cece. Caroline tried her best to appear steady despite her internal shakiness. She couldn't find the strength to form any more words as the uneasy feeling from earlier returned.

After Cece and Jesse exchanged a few more jabs, Caroline politely excused herself for the night, making excuses about the late hour and it being a very long week. They both understood and bid her a good night. She escaped the bar in a hurry, gasping for a breath of short-lived relief.

She left for home feeling like the crater in her heart had deepened. The pain, which intensified and dimmed according to circumstance, was burning. She was alone in the crowd. It was a familiar feeling, having experienced it extensively in her youth, but was now brought on for entirely different reasons. While the younger version of herself had felt that way due to teenage self-doubt and a constant search for approval from others, she now experienced it because she felt truly alone, no matter where she was or who she was with. Her suffering was hers alone to bear and being surrounded by people only reminded her of that.

* * *

The rest of their dinner was spent asking each other questions about one another. Elijah asked her how it was that she came to work for Marcel, and she, in turn, asked him why he disliked Marcel so much. Apparently, Marcel had used the brothers' shared affections for a girl to pit them against one another. When she asked him what Marcel had to gain by that, Elijah responded that Marcel had always been jealous of the love and loyalty the brothers had for one another. According to Elijah, Marcel would have rather Elijah be out of the picture, that way he wouldn't have to share Klaus with him. Katherine had scoffed, though she conceded that it wouldn't be entirely uncharacteristic for Marcel to pull such a stunt.

They had since moved on to discussing their respective families.

"Do your siblings still live in Mystic Falls, then?" Elijah asked.

"None of them do, actually. My sister lives in Richmond and my youngest brother is in New York. The only one who still lives there is my aunt and her family."

"Are you close with your family?"

She nodded. "Very much. They're all I have left now that my parents are gone."

Elijah's eyes widened. "I'm so sorry, Katherine. I didn't know."

Katherine shrugged and appeared unaffected, though Elijah could make out the tension in her exposed shoulders. "You have nothing to be sorry for. It's fine. They were in a car accident. It happened along time ago," she said by way of explanation.

His eyebrow knotted together. He gave her a considering look. "I'm still sorry, though," he said, sincerely. He watched her closely as she brought her glass of wine to her lips. His heart clenched at the thought of her in pain. "Family is the most important thing in my life," he said gently, "and I don't think I could bear it if I lost anyone of them."

"Tell me about your family," she requested, her eyes urging him to change the subject.

He paused, contemplating her sudden turn of topic, and then his eyes briefly flickered down to the table and a smile formed on his lips. "I have a large family—a very large, strangely functional, dysfunctional family," he answered, as his eyebrows quirked upwards. He was delighted when Katherine laughed.

"I have three other siblings besides myself. Klaus, whom you've already heard of. He and I are the closest, probably since we're the oldest and we work _and_ live together. Then there's Rebekah, with the biggest heart of us all." He wore a fond smile. "She's married and has two small children, Theo and Henry. She still lives in London near my parents." His smile widened as he shook his head. "And then there's Kol, the youngest who's still studying in university here in the city. He's the biggest troublemaker of us all, and we probably have Klaus to thank for that," he laughed.

"I think our little brothers have that in common, then," she laughed along with him.

"For your sake, I really hope not," he said solemnly. He shook his wrist to loosen the watch which had ridden up his arm.

"Oh really? And why is that?" Katherine asked, curiously.

He raised his eyebrows, and leaned back in his seat, contemplating telling her about the class act that is his younger brother. "Well, for one, does your brother ever take every single one of your suit pants and have them taken up an inch to make me think I've grown taller?" he asked in a challenge, clearly still bitter at the memory. Katherine nearly choked on the water in her mouth and let out an unladylike snort.

"No way," she managed to get out in between laughs.

"Way," he answered, his bitterness still intact and only showing a hint of a smile with the slight upturn of his mouth.

"Fine," she said, her laughs finally subsiding, already coming up with a better story to share with him. "But did your brother ever replace 200 caramel apples at the Independence Day Carnival with caramel covered onions?" Elijah's eyes widened in horror.

"He didn't," he said, unable to believe it.

"He did," she nodded in mock somberness. "He said he thought it would be funny. What he didn't expect, though, was an angry mob forming against the apple stand, all raising hell and demanding their refunds."

Elijah threw his head back in laughter. "So what ended up happening?"

"My parents grounded him of course, and that was on top of having to wake up every Saturday morning for the rest of the year and clean up the Mystic Falls roadsides." Her eyes twinkled with mirth. "I'm pretty sure I have a few pictures of him in one of those neon vests," she laughed.

"You, Katherine Gilbert, are truly evil."

"I try," she joked, shrugging one shoulder.

"I think it would be wise if our brothers never met," he said, solemnly.

"I completely agree," she nodded.

They stayed joking like that for the rest of the night. Although Elijah's anxiety had nearly disappeared throughout the dinner, it reared up again in full force by the time he pulled up to Katherine's building. He stepped out of his car and rounded to the other side to open her car door.

They stood outside of the front entrance. Elijah felt his stomach constrict with his nervousness. His mind was assaulted by the same self-doubt he felt back at the restaurant before Katherine had showed up for their date.

This evening had gone so well. For the first time in long while he wanted to make this work.

"Thank you for tonight," Katherine said. She was holding her clutch with both hands in front of her. The faint light from the nearby streetlight cast just enough light that she could make out the uncomfortable look on Elijah's face. The thought of that amused her. "I had a really great time."

The discomfort painted on his face disappeared a little. "So did I," Elijah replied. Katherine smiled. "Truthfully, I didn't think you would actually show up," he confessed with a hint of embarrassment.

"Wait a minute. Let me get this straight. The same man who was forward enough to ask me out after knowing me for all of five minutes, at a work function, might I add, got cold feet afterward?" she questioned him, incredulously.

"Yes, that's right," he admitted with an embarrassed chuckle. "I must admit that such forwardness is rather uncharacteristic of me and I'm not quite sure where that bout of courage came from. I'm not usually that transparent with my intentions nor that forward in my approach, but," he hesitated, "there's just something about you, Katherine."

"That's quite the line."

"It's not a line. Far from it, Katherine," he insisted.

"Well, then, are you at least happy with your decision to ask me out?" She raised an eyebrow in anticipation of his answer.

"Most happy." His smile was wide and contented.

Her eyes softened and a pleased smile formed on her lips. "Me too," she said, softly.

"I'd like to do this again, Katherine."

"I'd like that," she answered, the genuineness in her voice making his stomach clench tighter.

Elijah stepped closer to her, leaning in and placing a light kiss on her cheek. Katherine's eyes fluttered close at the contact.

"Goodnight, Katherine," he said, quietly.

She nodded. "Goodnight, Elijah." She gave him one last lingering look and then turned away from him. She opened her clutch to retrieve her keys, pushing them into the lock and lettering herself inside. She gave one last look behind her, giving Elijah a small wave, feeling satisfied in knowing he was watching her walk away.

_AN: I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update! Don't hate me! I've been out of town twice in the past two and a half weeks. Between school, work, and family, I've barely had a chance to update. I'm publishing this on the fly, so I apologize for any errors. I don't have a beta, so sometimes I can't help it when I miss something during my edits. Anyway, I hope you like it. I know there's no Klaroline going on this chapter, but you can expect it next chapter!_

_P.S. I didn't get a chance to respond to everyone's reviews and messages last time. I hate it when I can't reply back, so I'm really really sorry! Just know that I loved hearing from all of you. It makes me so so so happy! Please drop a review, favorite, or follow if you haven't already!_


	7. Chapter 6: Twenty-Four Too Much

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Diaries or the Originals.

**Chapter 6: Twenty-Four Too Much**

Push, push, push, Caroline mentally chanted. Her hands pumped back and forth beside her waist, slicing through the air with their rhythmic motions. Harder, harder, harder, she chanted. Only a few more yards and then she could stop. Just a little bit more, and then it'd be over.

The fire in Caroline's chest blasted through her as she pushed her body to outrun Katherine the last stretch to the grass. She pumped her legs as hard as she could despite their painful protest. Finally reaching the grassy area, she halted to a stop, bending over to catch her breath, before unceremoniously collapsing to the ground. She laid her back flat on the grass and flung her arm over her eyes to shield herself from the sun. Her legs lay spread apart like fallen logs, aching with pain and fatigue.

Katherine reached the spot a few seconds after. She remained standing, doubled over with her hands braced on her knees, attempting to catch her breath. After a few moments, she lowered herself down onto the grass, leaning her back up against the base of the thick tree trunk.

"I hate you, Katherine Gilbert," Caroline wheezed, still unable to control her breathing. It felt like she was breathing through her ears.

Katherine leaned her head back on the tree and closed her eyes. "Your ass will thank me later," she responded, still similarly out of breath.

Caroline uncovered her face and turned her head to glare at Katherine. Her face was flushed and a few strands of hair stuck to her sweaty forehead. "My ass is just fine, thank you very much." She was entirely unamused by Katherine's superficial observations.

"Whatever," muttered Katherine, noncommittally.

"Was forcing me out of bed at the buttcrack of dawn to go running really necessary? It's Sunday, Katherine! For heaven's sake!" Caroline whined for the umpteenth time that morning.

Katherine pushed the toe of her tennis shoe into Caroline's side, eliciting an indelicate grunt of protest from the other girl. "Quit being such a baby. You'll survive."

Caroline had been subject to a rude awakening this morning when Katherine had barged into her bedroom, flinging the covers off of her body and pulling Caroline from her bed. Caroline had whined and complained, but Katherine's football coach-like intimidation tactics to "Move, Move, Move!" had finally gotten her dressed in her running clothes and out the door. They walked the few blocks to Lincoln Park, with Caroline scowling in protest the whole way, until Katherine had forced Caroline to run laps around the park with her. Because she knew how competitive Katherine is, out of spite, Caroline pushed herself to her limits in order to outrun her around the park.

They stayed laying on the ground in tired silence for the next couple of minutes, each girl lost in her own thoughts or watching the early morning risers pass by in front of them.

Katherine broke the silence first. "So I had a date on Friday." She said it as casually as if she were announcing the weather. Caroline's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"So that's where you were gone all night," Caroline observed out loud, turning on her side to face Katherine. She propped her head up on her palm. Caroline had arrived that night to find the apartment empty and had gone to bed, tired after a long week, before Katherine had made it back home.

Katherine nodded, her head still leaning back on the tree and her eyes still closed.

"So who was the lucky guy?" questioned Caroline, curiously.

"His name is Elijah," she said, offering no further description.

Caroline eyed her doubtfully. "Elijah what?" she asked, the name sounding off bells of recognition in her head.

"Elijah Mikaelson," Katherine answered. She peaked one eye open to watch Caroline's expression.

"What!" Caroline shot up in a seated position. "Elijah Mikaelson, as in the one who's basically my boss?"

"That would be the one," Katherine drawled in a lazy stretch of words.

Caroline's jaw dropped slightly. "How come you never said anything when I mentioned I was working with Mikaelson Corp.?"

Katherine opened her eyes and sat up straighter against the tree trunk. "You never mentioned Elijah when you talked about the project. You only talked about working with Klaus," Katherine responded simply.

"But working with Elijah was obviously implied," continued Caroline.

"Look. I didn't keep it from you on purpose, it just happened that way. I barely know the guy. He knows my boss from way back, apparently. I met him, like, two weeks ago at some work dinner and then again at another lunch. I didn't even know he was paying attention to me until he asked me out."

Caroline nodded, accepting her explanation, though her eyebrows were still furrowed in surprise and confusion. "So how did he ask you out?"

Katherine shrugged her shoulders. "After we had that lunch with Marcel last week, Elijah walked me out of the café after Marcel had stormed off." Upon the look of confusion that crossed Caroline's face, Katherine interjected, "Don't worry about it. Long story." She continued with her story. "Anyway, he was kind of nervous when he asked me. I'm pretty sure he thought I would say no," she laughed.

"He didn't really strike me as the nervous type when I met him," stated Caroline with a quirk of her eyebrows.

"I was just as surprised as you are," agreed Katherine.

"So how nervous are we talking here?"

Katherine thought about Caroline's question for a second. "Think, 15-year-old high school boy, all nerves and self-doubt, except a lot hotter and in a super expensive suit."

Caroline considered her description with a laugh. "I just can't believe you went out with Elijah Mikaelson. He just seems so…" Caroline trailed off, unable to come up with the appropriate adjective.

"Uptight? Boring?" supplied Katherine.

Caroline laughed, leaning back on her hands and stretching her legs out in front of her. "No. Just not your speed."

Katherine smiled, having considered the exact same thing over the past few days. "Yea, well, I've been thinking a different speed may be exactly what I need."

Caroline narrowed her eyes. "Am I hearing what I think I'm hearing? Is Katherine Gilbert, self-proclaimed queen of settlement-phobia, actually interested in being serious with someone?"

Katherine scoffed loudly. "I think you're hearing what you want to hear, Blondie. Who said anything about settling down."

"Mhmm, right. Because Elijah Mikaelson is totally the kind of guy who's in it just for a fun time," Caroline responded, sarcastically.

"What would you know about Elijah Mikaelson? You barely know him."

"Well, am I wrong, then?" Caroline challenged.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter what kind of guy he is, Caroline. I'm not my sister. I don't do serious relationships. They've never worked for me. And you want to know why? Because I have about the same level of emotional development as a 17-year-old boy."

Caroline grunted in objection. "What are you talking about, Katherine? You've been in serious relationships before. What about that guy you brought home once after you moved to Chicago? You were with him for over a year. What was his name? Trevor?"

"Tom?" Katherine corrected. "I left him."

"Why? He was so sweet and he adored you."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Tom couldn't handle me. I would've eaten him alive, so I decided to cut him loose while the emotional scarring I caused him was still minimal. It was an act of mercy more than anything, really."

It was Caroline's turn to roll her eyes. "You're ridiculous."

Katherine offered her a playful smirk and a shrug of her shoulders.

"So have you talked to him at all since Friday?"

Katherine nodded, forcing herself to sound casual. "He called me last night while you were in the shower."

"And?" Caroline prompted.

"And what?" Katherine responded, deliberately making it harder for the girl.

"Katherine! I swear, it's like pulling teeth to get answers out of you!" Caroline exclaimed. "You're the one who started this conversation, not me!" she reminded Katherine.

"Fine," Katherine laughed, unaffected by the blonde's outburst. Her childhood and teenage years had prepared her quite well for such displays currently exhibited by her little sister's best friend. "He wanted to see if I enjoyed the date. I told him I did. But I'm pretty sure he just wanted to check to see if I'd changed my mind about wanting to go out with him again."

"That's pretty cute," Caroline conceded.

"Yea, it kind of is," Katherine nodded with a laugh. "Anyway, we're having lunch this week." Upon noticing Caroline's pitiful attempts to conceal her glee, Katherine exclaimed, "And you can wipe that look off your face. We're just having a good time. Period."

Caroline winked at her jokingly. "You keep telling yourself that, darling."

The girls' attention was briefly caught by a group of middle-aged women on roller-skates skating on the path to their left. The girls turned to each other and snickered at the absurd sight of pink and orange protective gear donned by the skaters.

Katherine spoke up again once the group was out of sight. "I talked to Jenna a few days ago."

Caroline smiled. "Oh yea? How is she?"

"She's fine. She says hi and that the girls miss you." Jenna and Ric had two little girls. Caroline had grown close to them while she was in Mystic Falls since she was one of the few from the group who stayed in town and was able to visit regularly. She'd babysit and take the girls out whenever she had the chance. Even when her mom got sick, she'd make time for them. Some days, those girls were the only thing that could make her smile.

"Ugh, I miss them so much," Caroline said softly, the threat of tears beginning to form in her eyes. She lay back down on the grass again.

"So, Thanksgiving's coming up," Katherine brought up conversationally, eying Caroline's form on the ground. Caroline remained quiet. "I can't skip it again this year," Katherine continued. "Jenna said she has news. I think she's pregnant again." Caroline still didn't respond. "We should probably book our flights soon."

Caroline's eyes closed and she held her breath for a few counts. Not breathing was better than letting the tears fall. She'd been doing better. Work was keeping her busy, which meant there was less time to let her mind wander to those dark places. Talking about her hometown and her old life only made it hurt all over again.

She eventually released the air she'd been holding and sucked in a clean breath and then another.

"I don't think I'm going back for Thanksgiving, Katherine." Caroline paused when Katherine didn't respond. She couldn't bring herself to look over at Katherine's face. "I think I'm just going to stay here," she said, her eyes still closed.

Katherine stayed quiet, and Caroline briefly wondered if she might have angered her somehow until she felt Katherine move closer to her and nudge her over with her arm.

"Move over. You're hogging all the sun."

Startled, Caroline quickly scooted over so Katherine would have room to lie down next to her in the small area where the sun shone through the trees surrounding them. Much of the space around them was shaded by the large tree branches, and the sun only made it all the way down to a small patch of grass.

Katherine lay back against the grass and folded her hands on her stomach. She closed her eyes, letting the sun warm her exposed skin. The cool breeze brushed across her face.

After making herself comfortable, she spoke up. "You can't hide from your old life forever, Caroline. It'll never stop hurting, but you're eventually going to have to go back and face it all again. The sooner you do it, the easier it'll be in the long run. Believe me, I know."

Katherine felt Caroline shake her head beside her. "No, Katherine. That's not true and you have no idea what it feels like right now. I don't ever have to go back there, not just because I don't want to, but because I've got absolutely nothing left there for me.

"I'm not you, Katherine." Caroline sounded angry, and Katherine understood Caroline's need to point that anger at someone else. "I don't have an Aunt Jenna, or Ric, or the girls. I don't have siblings like Jeremy and Elena to meet up with on holidays and breaks. I don't have a house I can stay in when I go back home." She paused, breathing in deeply. "I have nothing left. I should start getting used to that."

With that, Caroline pushed off the ground, not giving Katherine a chance to protest. "Come on," Caroline said, emotionless. "Let's go back." She walked back toward the path, leaving Katherine to follow her.

Katherine remained lying there for a few moments. In thought, she touched her fingers to the silver necklace hanging from her neck.

It wasn't Caroline's anger directed towards her that upset her. Truthfully, it didn't bother her at all. What upset Katherine was that what Caroline was saying was entirely untrue. Sure, the girl was right about not having a real family to go home to, but Katherine and Elena were just as much family to her as they'd always been, and even more so now.

Katherine understood the pain and loneliness. The following year after her parents had died, Katherine had moved away to Chicago, leaving the rest of her family behind. She'd let the solitude and pain consume her entirely for the majority of her college years. Most of it passed by in a haze and she had few fond memories from that time of her life. It didn't matter that she still had family to lean on because, at the time, she had wanted nothing to do with them. Instead of coming closer to them, she'd pushed them all way, was _still_ pushing them all away.

She didn't want Caroline to make her same mistake. It was enough that she'd left the comfort she'd known all her life and moved out here to escape the painful memories, but that didn't mean she had to completely push away all the people who still cared about her.

Maybe Thanksgiving was too close and Caroline wasn't ready to face her old life yet, but eventually she would be, and Katherine made a silent promise to be by her side when it happened.

* * *

Caroline shot off a quick email to Francesca. With a knot in her stomach, she ignored the three missed calls and two unanswered messages that lit up her phone. Twenty-four was the agonizing number that had been flashing in her mind since she'd woken up early this morning.

She shoved her phone back in her purse. She wouldn't be answering any of them today. Caroline pulled open the door and walked inside, shifting some of the bags she held to her other hand. Blinking her eyes rapidly, she adjusted her sight to the drastic change in lighting.

Today was the weekly meeting with Klaus and the team. It was designed to keep everyone updated on each other's progress as well to raise any questions that might need to be addressed as a group. A few of the team members had already checked in with Caroline letting her know they wouldn't be able to make it due to other appointments, and a few others were not expected to attend due to their minimal work on the project.

Caroline had effortlessly coordinated a meet-time with Klaus via email, but today was the day she would have to face him once again. She felt her heart rate increase at the thought of their last awkward encounter and she willed herself to be calm.

She rounded the stairs and walked down the hall towards the ballroom, the designated meetup location. As she walked further down the hall, she spotted Klaus in the ballroom through the glass of the closed French doors. Klaus sat at the head of a long, wooden table with what looked like a ledger and some documents spread out in front of him. He sat, leaning back in a fold-out chair, with a paper in one hand and his other arm folded across his chest. He was holding the paper up to his face, examining it with a furrowed brow.

The fluttering in Caroline's stomach picked up its pace, and she gripped the bags she held in both her hands a little tighter. She was walking closer to the ballroom now, and the steady beat made by the block heels of her suede booties on the hardwood floor caused Klaus to distractedly look up from his papers.

He spotted her then and sat up in his seat, his eyebrows rising a little at being caught by surprise. Caroline watched his surprise fade and then his forehead crease slightly. In a flash, his features had returned to an outward look of coolness. Caroline took in the storybook of his expressions. She would later marvel at the quickness with which he attempted to hide his true emotions.

She was within steps of the ballroom entrance when he rose quickly from his seat to open the double doors for her.

"Caroline," he greeted, opening the doors wide on each side to let her pass. "I wasn't expecting you this early."

Caroline looked sheepish. "I know, I'm sorry. I just thought I'd get here a little early to set up and then review a few things before everyone arrived." She'd arrived a half hour early with these excuses but really with the intention of talking to Klaus about what happened between them.

"If you're busy, though," she continued, sensing her imposition, "I can just come back—"

"No, of course not, Caroline. Don't be ridiculous. I'm just catching up on some paperwork," he explained. "Do whatever it is you need. I won't get in your way."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Caroline offered him a grateful smile and walked deeper into the room, setting her bags down at the foot of the table. Klaus followed after, his hands stuck casually in the pockets of his dark wash jeans.

"So what exactly is it that you need to set up?" Klaus asked, eyeing the bags she had just placed on the floor.

Caroline turned to him, undoing the belt of her beige trench as she did so. "I just brought some coffee and bagels. I figured it would make the morning go a lot faster." Caroline pretended not to notice how his eyes followed her movements as she undid the buttons of her coat.

Klaus nodded in understanding. "May I help you set up, then?"

"Thank you, but you don't have to," she answered, graciously. "I've probably already distracted you enough," she said, gesturing back to the paperwork that now lay forgotten on the table.

Klaus shook his head and chuckled. "I've been staring at these papers for the past two hours. Truthfully, I was just short of going mad before you showed up. I promise you, it's a welcome distraction."

Caroline nodded, smiling. She could tell he was being sincere, either that or he just really wanted to spend time with her. Both options pleased her for reasons she refused to contemplate.

"Alright, if you're sure."

"I am," he nodded.

"In that case, would you mind pulling that other table over to the side here so I can put all this stuff on top of it?"

"As you wish," he assented readily.

Caroline picked up the bags from the floor and set them on the chair, getting ready to remove the items in them once Klaus had pushed the table over to where she wanted it. She eyed him discreetly as she did so, taking in the sight of him in his casual dress shirt with rolled up sleeves. She shook away the wanderings of her mind, reminding herself why she came here early in the first place.

After Klaus pushed the table into place, she began arranging the items on top of it. He wordlessly picked up one of the remaining bags and unpacked its contents onto the table.

"Thank you," she murmured, reaching over and arranging them with the rest of the breakfast contents. He repeated the same process with the last of the bags, both of them working together as if it were only natural. She hated that there was a heat emanating from the small space separating them from one another.

Caroline placed the napkins on the side of the table, smoothing the wrinkle on the topmost one in a last ditch effort to stall. Klaus had stepped back, not wanting to get in her way, and was watching her now with curiosity and a keen sense that there was something more to come.

"All done," she stated, turning to face him and neatly folding the paper bags in her hands. She tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear. "Klaus…" she hesitated, "I, um, wanted to talk to you about last week." She had to get this all out before her nerves made her shaky.

Klaus stuck his hands in his pockets again. "What about last week, love?" he questioned. It was obvious he wasn't going to make this easy for her. She could sense a hint of mirth in his eyes, which only made her even more nervous. Damn him, she thought. This was so not a good idea. It's too late now, though.

"What happened between us…" she trailed off, not quite able to finish her sentence. She was trying her best to avoid his gaze.

He kept his eyes trained on her and a hint of a smirk appeared on his lips. "You mean what _almost_ happened, love?" he offered when it was clear she wasn't going to be finishing the sentence.

"Yes," she agreed, nodding her head and thankful to him for offering something to say. "What _almost_ happened was unprofessional and completely inappropriate," she declared, emphasizing her words by gesturing emphatically with her hands. "It shouldn't have happened."

"But nothing happened, love," he protested. He had wiped the smirk off his face, not wanting to increase her distress, though he had to admit seeing her flustered was rather entertaining.

"I know nothing happened," she assented, "but it could've happened if your phone hadn't gone off." Now she was starting to feel as though she'd imagined the whole thing. "Look, all I wanted to say is that I don't want you to get the wrong impression of me. I'm not that kind of girl. My job is very important to me," she stressed. "I love what I do and I pride myself on how well I do it. I would never intentionally do anything to jeapordize that," she said, staring at him with purpose. "I just wanted you to know that from now on, you can always count on me to be professional."

Klaus examined her with a look of interest, contemplating his next words. "You needn't be so worked up about it, love. I have no doubts about your professionalism or your work ethic. I assure you, it'll take a lot more than something like that for me to question your ability to do your job."

Caroline noticed how he completely avoided mentioning the almost-kiss and only addressed her professionalism. It was a consensual agreement to pretend to forget. Such an agreement should've eased the twist in her stomach. She breathed in, wondering why his statement hadn't made her feel any better.

"Ok, thank you. I appreciate it," she said, slowly looking up at him, schooling her face to look calm and contented.

"Don't worry about it, Caroline," he urged.

The feeling of unease persisted and she quickly changed the subject, hoping to distract herself from it. "So, Francesca asked me for an update on the art acquisitions for the lobby and the dining room. We thought we'd hold off on picking any artwork for the bedrooms for now." She walked over to the other table, reaching for her purse to pull out her agenda.

Klaus's forehead creased as he watched her retreating back walking away from him and over to the table. He had more to say that he hadn't said, couldn't say.

"Caroline?" he called out.

"Hmm?" she answered distractedly, looking back around to him. Professional, focused, and appropriate were the thoughts that rang through his head.

His eyes were stormy and he looked uncharacteristically conflicted, like there was something he wanted to tell her and he just couldn't form the words.

"Never mind," he quickly responded, shaking his head and dissuading himself against the idea of following the line of conversation he'd formed in his head. "So, about that artwork?"

* * *

Elijah leaned back against the car door with one hand stuffed casually in his gray pant suit pocket. He observed the passersby through the dark lenses of his aviators. It was a quarter past noon, and people were filtering out of the towering edifice like a swarm of caged animals ready to relish in their short-lived freedom.

He was here to pick up Katherine for their lunch date. Today happened to be the only day of the week that she could fit him into her schedule for more than twenty minutes. If he had thought he had a busy schedule, he'd had to reconsider that notion upon attempting to coordinate a date with Katherine.

All of a sudden, he felt, rather than saw, a pair of hands grip him by the shoulders and turn him around towards the car. In a whirlwind of motions, he came face to face with the back of Katherine's head. She was swinging open the back door of his black sedan with a frantic haste. She descended into the car and then grabbed his hand, tugging him down into the car with her.

He landed with a thump and a befuddled expression, staring at Katherine like she'd lost her mind. She didn't even spare him a glance before reaching her hand over him to shut the car door.

"Katherine, what on earth—" he stuttered. He was cut off by Katherine leaning across from him to peer stealthily out of the window.

"Oh shit," she cursed, spotting someone on the street and ducking her head down to conceal herself from the view offered by the car windows. She reached over to tap Elijah's driver on his shoulder.

"Go, now. Please," she urged. The driver obeyed, turning on the car and swerving his way back into traffic.

"Katherine, can you please tell me what is going on?" Elijah insisted. Katherine finally lifted her head.

"Are you crazy?" Katherine demanded.

"I beg your pardon?" Elijah responded, confusion and horror written all over his face.

"You parked right in front of my building!" she exclaimed. Elijah looked confused, as if he were wracking his brain for an explanation to that statement.

"I'm afraid I don't follow, Katherine."

"When you said you would pick me up," she explained with a huff, "I figured you would park around the corner or something. Not right smack in the front!"

Elijah's look of utter confusion only increased. Katherine looked near hysterical.

"I imagine it must be great being self-employed and all, but some of us unfortunate ones have bosses to please." She elaborated, "Marcel was right behind me in the lobby. He could've seen me leave with you!"

"Katherine, I still fail to see where all of this is leading."

"After that last stunt you pulled at lunch, Marcel has basically despised you ever since. But he is my employer, in case you'd forgotten, and he therefore has the ability to _fire_ me if he so pleases. Do you see where this is going now?" she questioned him.

"You think that being seen with me is going to jeapordize your job at the firm?" he asked, with a little more understanding now.

"Yes," she huffed, fastening her seatbelt and leaning back in her seat, letting herself relax a little more now. "I can handle him for the most part, but who knows how he'd react to seeing me with you, and I'd rather him not find out about us. I quite like my job, thank you very much." Elijah felt a surge of anger course through him at the thought of Katherine having to be subject to Marcel's stupidity and childishness.

"An insignificant piece of scum like Marcel cannot dictate whom you see," he stated with an uncharacteristic edge to his voice. He couldn't stand Marcel before, and he was loathing him even more now. Katherine immediately reached over to clasp his hand in hers. Her features softened as she looked over to him and gave his hand a small squeeze.

"Maybe not, but he can still give me a hard time about it. I can take care of myself, I would just rather not have to deal with something I can easily avoid," she explained more calmly now, mostly in an attempt to quell the anger she could sense was rising in him.

"What does that mean exactly?" Elijah found his attention distracted by the feel of Katherine's hand in his. Her hand felt so soft and warm, so foreignly feminine, the specific sensations of a woman he most adored. Her grip was firm, though, and he marvelled at the quickness with which she'd acted on her need to comfort him.

"It means that he can't know we're seeing each other, at least for now." Her eyes looked uneasy for a moment as she contemplated another thought. "I mean, not that I'm assuming we're going to keep seeing each other in the future or anything," she rushed.

"We will be together," he responded confidently, looking her straight in the eyes. "But we'll deal with it when it gets to that point." It was his turn to squeeze the hand he held in his own.

Katherine didn't hide the pleased smile that shaped her lipstick-colored lips. Normally she would find herself cringing when men attempted to act confident around her. It seemed to be nothing more to her than a child trying to fill an adult's shoes, a pitiful excuse of a man overcompensating for all that he lacked. But Elijah's confidence was neither contrived nor ill-conceived. It was simply a part of who he is—a man who rests comfortably in his own skin because he knows exactly what he wants.

Neither of them made any move to pull their hands away from one another.

When the driver pulled up to the curb, Elijah's hand never left Katherine's as he helped her out of the car and onto the sidewalk. She made a move to walk towards the restaurant when he tugged on her hand, pulling her closer to him.

"I don't believe we had a proper greeting today." His eyes bore into hers and only a hint of a smile played on his lips.

Katherine smiled, warmth creeping into her chest. She could tell he was moving in to give her an innocent kiss on the cheek, but before he could, she let go of his hand and placed each of hers on either side of his face. Maybe proper girls waited until at least after the meal, but her actions were beyond her control now and she felt an aching need to be closer to him—to show him what her words couldn't explain.

Elijah stilled in anticipation, not expecting what was happening. Katherine leaned forward, bringing his face down slightly and interlocking her lips with his in a soft, tender kiss. She could feel his hands come up and tangle in her hair.

She pulled away first, smiling at the look of utter captivation on his face. She swiped her thumb slowly across his lips, erasing any traces of her lipstick on his swollen skin. She laughed and hooked her arm in his.

"Come on, I'm hungry."

* * *

The meeting had wrapped for the day. It had lasted just a few minutes over two hours, but it had passed by quickly enough. The meet-up was satisfyingly successful, and the group was able to work out many of the most pressing kinks at this time. It was only the first of such meetings, which mostly explained why it took so long.

Jesse waved goodbye to her and promised to see her later at the office. Gia stuck around to figure out some scheduling issues for the meeting they would be having next week. Francesca needed Gia for a consultation at that time, and Caroline was considering moving the meeting to the afternoon in anticipation of a few more people who wouldn't be able to make it at that time.

Caroline declined Gia's offer to let them help her pack away the rest of the food and drinks that remained. Save for two other people who were standing off to the side talking to each other, everyone else had filtered out to get on with the rest of their day and all who were left were Caroline and Klaus.

"I think that was rather successful," observed Klaus as he stuffed some documents into his shoulder bag. Caroline looked up from where she was packing the remnants of the breakfast foods and utensils into a brown grocery bag.

"Yea, I think so, too." She smiled at him, pleased at the way today had gone. She was still new to the team dynamic, and she had been nervous about the meet-up today. Caroline resumed cleaning up the table.

Klaus observed her from where he stood. He'd been itching to say something to her for the past two hours. Caroline had even caught him stealing a few glances at her throughout the meeting but had been polite enough to pretend not to notice.

"Caroline," he called out. Caroline looked up at him again, mid-way through wiping down some spilled coffee on the tabletop.

"Hmm?"

Klaus walked forward a few steps closer to her, though still keeping a safe distance between them. His knuckles rested lightly on the table.

"I just wanted to say how much I'm looking forward to working with you. You've shown incredible talent so far and I can tell how much everyone on the team respects you." Caroline's eyes lit up in happiness.

"Thank you," she replied, genuinely. "That means a lot. I look forward to working with you, too." Klaus smiled back.

"And I just wanted you to know that what happened last time was just as much your fault as it was mine. Probably more so mine," he amended. "And I don't want you blaming yourself for it."

Caroline nodded, surprised he'd want to bring up the subject again and appreciative of him for finally acknowledging what happened. She had to admit, though, it was rather satisfying to have him say it now. It means he must have been thinking about it at least somewhat during the meeting.

"Alright, Klaus," she answered. "Thank you. I really do appreciate it," she admitted with a kind smile.

Klaus nodded, the moment ending. Both of them turned back to their tasks. Caroline gathered all of the bags, including the purse she'd left on the chair, and turned back to Klaus.

"I should be heading back to the office, now," she said. Klaus nodded in understanding. "I'll see you soon, then."

"See you soon, Caroline," he smiled, the twinkle back in his eye.

She walked out of the ballroom, feeling strangely lighter than when she'd arrived. He pleased her in a way she couldn't understand, but she wasn't so preoccupied with figuring it out today.

Caroline rounded the stairs, making a pit stop at the one working bathroom to her left, figuring now would be her only chance to go seeing as she'd be stuck in meetings for the rest of the afternoon as soon as she arrived back at the office. While in the bathroom, she thought she heard the faint sound of heels clacking on the hardwood floor, but thought nothing of it.

She finished up, washing her hands and drying them with one of the napkins on the table beside the sink. She emerged from the bathroom to hear voices coming from down the hall near the ballroom. It was odd, considering the two others who had remained in the room had left a few minutes before Caroline had taken her leave of Klaus.

Curious, she walked back around the corner to peer down the hallway. She froze at the sight before her. A tall, red-headed woman was in Klaus's embrace, peppering kisses along the side of his face. Klaus's face was hidden by the woman's head, though she could see that his arms were wrapped around her slim waist.

Her stomach clenched. She turned around, walking quickly back around the corner to grab her bags off the ground and towards the entrance. She nearly ran outside, trying desperately to push back the unwarranted tears that were threatening to form in her eyes. It's not like he was even remotely hers. It's just that, they had a moment, she reasoned. Was she crazy before to think he had expressed some kind of interest in her?

Caroline shut down her thoughts immediately. Today was destined to be awful, she concluded. A silly man was the least of her problems. She would just add it to the long list.

All she had to do was get through today. The back-to-back meetings would surely distract her. If the Lord had any mercy, she'd make through in one piece.

* * *

Caroline sat on the wooden bench near the edge of South Pond in Lincoln Park, her legs crossed and her hands clasped and still in her lap. Her trench coat was buttoned all the way to the top to ward off against the chill creeping in with the setting of the sun. She peered wearily over the vast pond, observing the reflection of the waves of pink and orange reflected off the water's surface.

A few people were walking along the dirt path closest to the water. Her eyes followed them without any real interest or care. Her hands were gripped together so tightly they had turned white—a half-willed effort to keep her chest from exploding. There was a beast within her clamoring and clawing painfully for a way out, weighing down on her heavily and robbing her of breath. Orange, black, and grey and red—all swirling inside of her like a nauseating poison of torment and heartbreak.

When would it all stop hurting so damn badly? She wanted so much to be better. Shouldn't that count for something, dammit? This darkness, she feared, would swallow and consume her until nothing was left. Maybe then it would stop hurting so much, she thought vaguely. She sat there, wishing to be numbed to the world, scornful of her lot in life. She wished for anger, but all she got was despair. What if that was all she'd ever get? Pain, and more pain after that. The thought made her shiver.

Her mother should have been here today of all days. Their hands would be clasped together and carefree smiles would stretch across their faces. They'd laugh about all of the awful things they'd been through, the pain of it all only a foreign memory in their hearts. They'd exchange stories over forkfuls of sinfully sweetened delights. And then, at the end of the night, her mother would hold her in a tight embrace, kissing her softly on her forehead, whispering gentle well wishes into her ear for the many years waiting ahead for her glittering daughter.

But she wasn't here. She was gone. She was gone. She was gone. Oh, God, she was gone.

Caroline stood abruptly, grabbing her purse from beside her. She ran towards the street. She needed to move before she spontaneously combusted—before the demons broke a hole through her ribcage and scratched their way through her skin. She had to get out of here. Her blonde waves shook furiously behind her with the movement. She reached the street, sticking out her hand and waving down a cab.

Her fingers tap, tap, tapped furiously on the seat. It was dark now. She had to get home. She needed some safety. She needed this day to finally, Jesus, be over.

She paid the cab driver in a rush, pushing open the door and walking quickly to the front door, sticking her key in the lock and letting herself inside. She took the stairs, running the whole way up the five flights. She shoved her keys in the door and slipped quickly inside, shutting the door shut swiftly behind her.

Caroline took a deep breath, closing her eyes, and leaned her head back on the door, letting her purse fall from her hand to the floor. She unbuttoned her coat with one hand, desperate to have nothing constraining her. Her chest heaved and her breaths were coming out ragged. She stayed like that for a minute or so, catching her breath and regaining her footing, trying her best to distract herself from her cold reality by focusing on her breathing.

She eventually lifted herself off the door, standing up straight, and walked deeper into the apartment. Curiously, none of the lights were on. She turned the corner into the living room, finding Katherine propped up on the white couch, the room lit by a dim lamp in the corner and and the flame of a few candles that lit a white-frosted cake. Katherine's hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and her face was scrubbed clean of any makeup.

"I wanted to wish you a happy birthday this morning but you slipped out before I got a chance."

Tears sprang to Caroline's eyes. She walked further into the living room. "Elena told me that the Scooby Gang's been trying to call you all day but you won't take any of their calls." Caroline didn't respond but Katherine continued anyway.

"I know that saying that this year was a bad year would probably be the understatement of the century. I know you think I don't know what it feels like to be you right now. And, you're probably right. I've never been truly alone. I had Jenna, and Elena, and Jeremy, and even Ric and the girls now. I still had someone else to fill some of the void after I lost Mom and Dad."

Katherine snuffed out the candles before they melted entirely into the cake and then stood up. She smoothed her sweater over her leggings with the palms of her hands.

"I know you think you don't have anyone, and that you have to go through it all alone. But you've never been more wrong." Katherine took a few steps toward Caroline. "I'm here for you, and I always will be as long as you need me, probably long after you even want me anymore. You're my family, as far as I'm concerned." The tears were falling freely from Caroline's eyes now. "And family doesn't leave family. Not this time."

Heavy sobs broke through Caroline's chest, gurgling their way out of her and leaving her knees too weak to stand. She slowly sunk down onto the ground by the sofa, her hands covering her face and her whole body shaking with grief.

"Oh God, I can't breathe anymore. I can't breathe," she cried. The emotional weight on her chest was suffocating her.

Katherine rushed to her side on the floor. She gathered Caroline in her arms, brushing her palm against her hair and back as the other girl's tears soaked her shirt. Caroline wrapped her arms around Katherine, holding onto her tightly, needing to hold onto something for fear of melting into nothingness.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Caroline sobbed. Her hysteria had reached its breaking point tonight. "She's supposed to be here with me."

"I know," Katherine whispered. "I know."

Her hand continued to rub up and down Caroline's back. Katherine felt a few of her own tears slide down her cheek. At some point in the night, or maybe it had happened much earlier, one girl's grief became the other's, intertwining and fusing together until it wasn't clear which belonged to whom.

"It hurts so bad, Kat," she weeped, her sobs becoming quieter now. "I thought I would be better by now, but I'm not, and I can't figure any of it out."

Katherine swiped at one of her own tears and resumed her task of combing through Caroline's hair with her fingers.

"It won't get just yet," Katherine whispered, "and never when you expect it to." Katherine felt her heart clench. "You have to let the pain go, slowly. And, eventually, it'll just fade away in time. But you just have to get through it until then."

It was no simpler than that. Katherine spent years after her parents' death fearing that the hole in her chest would grow so wide it would kill her. And then years went by—after all the misery and torment—and suddenly she found herself laughing again, that deep guttural laugh that sounded foreign to her even while it was coming out from her. It had been so long since she'd offered to the world anything more than a forced smile or polite conversation. It all just faded eventually, she discovered.

Caroline had quieted down now, the last of the hysteria disappearing and leaving only a tired girl resting her head on Katherine's shoulder. Katherine continued her soothing ministrations until Caroline slowly lifted her head off of Katherine, sitting up. She took a deep breath and wiped at her eyes with the heels of her palms.

"So, I got you something for your birthday," Katherine announced. She rose from the ground to grab the small velvet box on the coffee table by the forgotten cake. She came back to sit down by Caroline.

Katherine continued, "You keep saying that you're all alone, and I wanted you to know how wrong you are." Caroline's eyebrows furrowed slightly when Katherine handed her the small box to open.

Caroline flipped open the lid, revealing a familiar silver heart-shaped pendant. It was the same one Elena had received on her fifteenth birthday from her mother, just a year before her death, and the same one that was hanging from Katherine's neck right now. Caroline's fingers ghosted over the necklace. She peered up at Katherine for explanation.

"Mom gave one to Elena and me for our birthdays that year," Katherine explained. Caroline nodded, remembering Elena's excited squeal the next day at school. "She said that no matter what, when all was said and done, even if she wasn't around, us sisters would always have each other, no matter what. She said that we're two halves of the same heart, and one can't survive without the other.

"Well, I've realized Mom was wrong. We're not two halves. There's three of us now. You're our sister, too." Tears pooled in Caroline's eyes, falling silently down her cheeks. "You're our family, now. Elena and I just wanted you to know that." Caroline smiled through her tears, reaching over to wrap Katherine in another embrace.

"Thank you," Caroline whispered.

It was all so damn hard. She'd spent the entire day with one single thought eating her up: if this was what life would be like, could she really handle any more of it? The thought of living out the rest of her life seemed so utterly pointless and exhausting. She didn't think she had the strength to continue on for long.

But Katherine, in the surprise of all surprises, was gently sliding in to plug up the gunshot wounds littered all over her body. It was a nice change, Caroline would find, to have someone there by her side—family. Katherine would survive the test of friendship, for family sticks around long after everyone else has deserted you. Because when all was said and done, when the fight was finally over, she'd look to her side and, for once, find that she was not alone. She'd be part of a whole.

"Happy birthday, Caroline."

* * *

_AN: This chapter is so freaking long. As in, it's over 8,000 words long. That's basically like three chapters combined in one, right? I know should really work on posting shorter chapters, but it's a skill I have yet to master. And I just love this chapter so freaking much, so I'm not too worried. I really hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It was sadder and much more emotional, but I felt it was appropriate considering all that Caroline's going through. I never understood how people get over things so quickly, and Caroline, although a fighter until the last second, understands and feels things so much deeper than everyone else. It just felt obvious to me that her mother's death would hurt her to her very core. And, as a plus, I just love the dynamic between Katherine and Caroline. Who else agrees? _

_Anyway, as usual, leave me a comment because I can't wait to hear what you all have to say! And don't forget to follow/favorite if you haven't already. Until next time!_


	8. Chapter 7 PART I: A Real Work of Art

**Chapter 7: A Real Work of Art**

**Part I**

_Yes, I'm alive. Call off the search party! I know, I suck. On so many levels. This took too long to write, mostly because I wasn't writing anything at all. Anyway, the real point is that there are two parts to this chapter because it would have been too long and awkward to cram into one post. So now let's begin the process of hating me a little less. Read on, my friends!_

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Vampire Diaries, the Originals, or anything related to these shows.

* * *

"Care!" Matt exclaimed, answering the phone slightly out of breath. Caroline could picture him running to the back office at the Grill to answer the call. The thought made her smile.

"Hey, stranger," Caroline greeted, watching the cars speeding by. She'd slipped out of the office during her break to sit on a bench in front of the towering building. She hugged her coat tighter as the wind picked up around her.

Matt was the last on her list of people to whom she needed to apologize. She'd talked to Elena and Bonnie in a 3-way call the night before, apologizing for not answering their calls on her birthday and letting herself be swept up in the happenings of their lives for nearly an hour. It had almost been like old times, and she'd nearly let herself believe it, too, except for the jolt of reality that came with the clicking of the 'End' button on her cell phone screen.

"Speaking of strangers," Matt replied, his voice evening out now. "Someone's been avoiding my calls." Caroline scrunched up her face in guilt.

"I know," she sighed. "I'm so sorry. I got all your messages, too. I just couldn't, Matty. I just—" Caroline didn't finish her sentence. She couldn't explain it to him because she didn't know how. How could she make any logical sense of pushing away the people she loved most? Hell, it didn't even make sense to her.

"I know, Care," he answered, gently. "You don't have to apologize."

"But I do, Matt. It's not right. I keep pushing everyone away." She sighed, fiddling with the heart-shaped pendant hanging from her neck.

"It is, though, Care. I get it. Sometimes you just need to block everyone out so that you can deal with whatever it is you're feeling. We all get that you're going through a hard time and, I promise you, nobody faults you for it. You never have to apologize for that. Just don't push us away forever," he joked, eliciting a small laugh from Caroline.

"I would never dare."

"But seriously, how have you been?" The tenderness in his voice was as unmistakable as the warmth in his heart.

"I've been…good," she faltered, attempting her hardest to sound sincere. She shook her head, forgetting that he couldn't see her. "Actually, that's a fat lie," she laughed, feeling the need for a real moment of truth with her best friend. "I've been awful. Everything's been pretty horrible lately," she admitted. Caroline adjusted the phone to her other ear and leaned back on the bench, crossing her legs, and looking up at the greying sky.

"I know, Care," he said, softly.

"Just when I think it's going to get better, I get sucked back down into it all again." Caroline blew out a frustrated sigh. "I thought getting out of Mystic Falls would help, you know? And, I mean, I know I'm feeling better than I would be feeling right now if I'd stayed there, but that's not saying much because I still feel _terrible_."

Matt stayed quiet.

"I'm starting to think I'll never feel alright again." This fear of hers had been on constant loop for the past few months.

"Care, you can't think like that. You just lost the most important person in your life." Caroline rolled her eyes, not needing to be reminded of the fact. "I've never been the spokesperson for normalcy but I'd say that what you're experiencing is pretty normal. You've been through so much these past two years," he continued, "it's a wonder you're still standing." Caroline chewed her lip as the tears pooled in her eyes. "I've never seen anyone fight as hard as you have. You're the strongest person I know."

Caroline scoffed in disbelief, quickly swiping away the tear that escaped from the corner of her eye. "Well, it sure doesn't feel like it."

They stayed quiet for a few moments. Caroline attempted to hide her red-rimmed eyes from the passers-by by letting her hair shield her face.

"Hey, Matt?"

"Yea?"

"Do you think I made a mistake coming out to Chicago?" she asked. "Tell me the truth."

"No, Care, not at all," he answered sincerely. "Look, I doubt it's ever going to just suddenly feel better. As much as I hate that my best friend abandoned me for the big city," he teased, "I really think it was the best decision you could've made. When your mom got sick, your life just...stopped. And obviously you did what you needed to do and you did your damn best to take care of her, but now it's time to take care of yourself. Learn how to live again. Find a way to be happy."

"And how do I get over all this pain?" she asked. Caroline heard him blow out a long sigh.

"I don't know if there's a right answer to that, but if there's anything I've learned from past experiences it's that time eventually helps you forget, and the only way to get through it until then is to just get through it."

"Stop," she said, letting out a watery laugh, "you're starting to sound like Katherine." Matt let out an audible shudder. The two had a very open, and mostly humorous, dislike for one another.

"How is that going, by the way?" Matt asked.

"Katherine is…" Caroline struggled to form the words. "Katherine's different than how I remember her. She's nice to me now and pretty amazing, actually," she said, sounding as if she were coming to a revelation as the words left her mouth.

"I have a hard time believing that," Matt said with a small laugh.

"I know," she exclaimed. "That was exactly my reaction at first, but it hasn't been easy on me out here, and every time I think I've reached my lowest, I find her right there by my side. It's weird but...I trust her."

"Only you, Caroline Forbes, could melt the Ice Queen's heart," Matt teased, reminding Caroline of the nickname they'd used for Katherine behind her back ever since high school. Caroline chuckled.

"I highly doubt that she's reformed now because of me, but I'll take the credit anyway," she joked. They both laughed.

"Hey, Care?"

"Hmm," she answered.

"It's a little late, but Happy Birthday anyway," he said. Caroline laughed.

"Thanks, Matty," she replied, feeling the warmth creep back into her heart. After a short pause, she announced, "I should get going. I have a meeting with my boss in ten minutes."

"No worries. I'll talk to you soon," he said. "I really miss you, Care," he admitted on a softer note.

"I miss you, too, Matty," she said, feeling her throat begin to constrict. The emotion in Matt's voice always had a direct connection to the strings of her heart. "Tell Sarah I say hi. I'll talk to you later," she said in a near whisper, not trusting her voice not to betray her emotions.

"I will, Care. Love you."

"Love you, too," she rushed out, before shutting the phone and giving in to the pooling drops of moisture she'd been trying to hold back. She dabbed her fingers on the corners of her eyes, catching the tears before they ruined her makeup.

Everything about Matt felt like home to her—Matt with his unwavering warmth, his soulful eyes thawing even the coldest of hearts and disarming even those warned to expect it. Matt, her best friend and sharer of a childhood attachment that had somehow morphed into one of two would-be adults attempting to make it in this world. Matt—barbecue pits and cowhide leather, hers to have and not hers all the same. Matt—her home.

* * *

Caroline poked her head into the office, rapping her knuckles lightly on the open door. Francesca looked away from her computer screen and peered up at Caroline over the rims of her glasses.

"You asked for me, Francesca?"

"Yes, Caroline. Come in. Have a seat," the older woman said, gesturing with her hand to the chair. Caroline did as she was told, moving forward to take the seat in front of her boss's desk. Francesca closed out of the document she was working on and turned back to Caroline, removing her reading glasses as she did so.

"Thank you for coming, Caroline. This will only take a few minutes."

"It's no problem," Caroline replied, politely. Francesca folded her hands in front of her. Her brightly manicured nails stood out against her olive-colored skin.

"As you know, I'm supposed to be meeting with Klaus today to get started on choosing the artwork for the Palmer property." Caroline nodded, having scheduled the meeting for the two of them herself. "I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to make it." Francesca blew out a frustrated breath.

"I had a meeting with potential clients from a Spanish firm set up for tomorrow afternoon," Francesca continued, "but apparently there was a miscommunication between our secretaries, and instead of flying in tomorrow, they already flew in this morning." Francesca looked distressed. Distractedly, she checked her phone for any new messages.

"Caroline," she said, turning back to face her. "I'd like you to take my place with Klaus this afternoon." Caroline's eyes widened a bit.

"Um, are you sure about that? I'm sure we could just reschedule," Caroline reasoned. Spending a whole afternoon with Klaus, alone, was the last thing she felt like doing.

"No, no," Francesca shook her head. "That's unnecessary. We've already scheduled the consultations with the galleries and I don't want to back out of them now. And even if we did reschedule, I don't think we'd be able to meet personally with one of the artists, Alain Perrault. He's returning to France in two weeks for the rest of the season."

"Ok," Caroline replied slowly. "What exactly would I be required to do?" This was entirely beyond the realm of her expertise.

Francesca waved her hand carelessly in the air. "It's nothing, really. We've scheduled consultations with two different art galleries. I thought these two would have the most fitting artwork for the dining room and lobby. You'll go along with Klaus and offer your opinion on the artwork, but mostly you'll be in charge of the logistics. You'll handle the payments and shipments. Make sure they're delivered to the storage room in this building. We'll take them back to the property once the renovation is completely over. Oh, and just a heads up, Alain Perrault only speaks French, but you shouldn't have a problem with that." Francesca already knew of Caroline's year abroad in France during college. She had double-majored in Visual Arts and French, the height of her overachieving years.

Francesca continued to rattle off more requests that Caroline diligently wrote down on the notepad she'd brought in with her.

"I don't think there should be any problems," Francesca assured her. "But if you run into any difficulties, just call me." Caroline nodded her head. "That will be all, Caroline." Caroline finished scribbling one last note to herself on the pad and stood up.

"Klaus will be in front of the building at a quarter to two. I've already informed him that you'll be taking my place this afternoon." With that, Francesca returned back to her computer screen, replacing her reading glasses in their position on the bridge of her nose. Caroline turned from the desk to walk out of the office.

"Good luck," she heard behind her. Caroline turned slightly around.

"Thank you," she replied, feeling the nerves in her stomach return. It wasn't that the task before her was daunting. It sounded easy enough, and she was never one to cower in the face of a new challenge. It's part of what made her job exciting: trying new things and discovering what she was capable of. Instead, it was the thought of having to see _him_ again.

The last time she had seen him with that woman on the day of her birthday, she'd been left with the image on instant replay in her mind. It shouldn't of bothered her. He wasn't hers. But, for some reason, the gust of emotion she'd already been feeling that day had only intensified upon seeing the two together, and that pain had somehow weaved itself into the wide netting of grief in which she was already entangled.

The night of her birthday, she had laid wrapped in Katherine's arms on the living room floor, shoulders shaking and tears streaming in a weeping mess, the tiny fractures of her world splitting open under the weight of her sorrows and crumbling to the ground in inevitable catastrophe. She had expected it, had seen it coming from miles away, but what she hadn't expected was someone being there to hold her when it all fell apart. Katherine had held her, consoled her, and tucked her in that night.

The next morning, though, Caroline had picked herself up, smoothed out the night creases on her skin, and resolved to toughen up her heart a bit. She couldn't get on like she had before; it was getting her nowhere and, by God, she had to get somewhere. Caroline Forbes wasn't meant to stay kicked down on the ground.

* * *

It was ten to one when Caroline stepped out of the lobby doors and onto the sidewalk. She was late, half on purpose and half because she had allowed herself to be cornered by Chatty Cathy—her name was actually Cathy—outside the bathroom door. She hadn't been all that concerned about being late, nor had she been all that eager to see _him_.

But something curious had occurred while Cathy droned on about something positively mundane: Caroline realized how out of place her annoyance with him was. She was nothing to him—a coworker, barely acquaintances—as he should be to her. Her life was a muddled situation of dusty cobwebs and near-death suffocation and it wasn't her place to be bringing anyone else down with her. Klaus was far beyond her reach, and they'd all be better off if he remained that way. So, as she stood outside the bathroom, pretending to be interested in whatever it was Cathy was saying, Caroline told herself she would act perfectly normal—better than normal—with Klaus. She couldn't let another grievance weigh her down.

So as she stood outside the building, zipping up her jacket and scanning the street for Klaus, she felt considerably lighter than she had when she'd first been told of her assignment for this afternoon.

Caroline spotted him a short ways down the sidewalk. He was leaning up against his parked car on the curb, ankles crossed and one hand stuck in his jeans' pocket, engrossed in conversation with whomever he was speaking to on his cell phone. He wore his customary dark jeans paired with a dark grey henley and his black leather jacket.

Caroline walked closer towards him.

"Kol," she could hear him saying, "the condo is not your own personal bachelor pad. I'm not going to allow you to use it every time you fancy a female with a pulse." As Caroline approached him, Klaus looked up, his look of irritation morphing into something more welcoming. She could hear the sounds of adamant protest on the other end of the line, causing the corners of her mouth to turn upwards in a suppressed laugh.

"Don't think I don't know that you call me for favors instead of Elijah," he said, turning back to his conversation in lighthearted frustration and interrupting whoever it was on the other end. "I already told you that you were cut off after what happened last time. But you really want the condo that bad? Call Elijah and ask him instead. Let me know how that goes. Now, I have actual work to attend to because that's what adults do. Goodbye, Kol." Klaus ended the call and stuck his cell phone back in the inside pocket of his jacket. He laughed at the expression of mirth on Caroline's face.

"Sibling trouble?" she inquired, cocking her head to the side, a teasing smile gracing her features.

"My youngest brother," he said by way of explanation. He shook his head in feigned annoyance. "I'm not certain when I started being the easy brother." Caroline laughed again. It was lighthearted and Klaus smiled wider at the sound.

"Caroline, it's lovely to see you again," he said affably, finally giving her a proper greeting, the small lines around his eyes creasing as a result of his smile.

"Hi, Klaus," Caroline answered, smiling lightly. She glanced down at her watch and looked back up at him. "We should probably get going or we'll be late."

"Of course, love. Let's be on our way then, shall we?"

* * *

Katherine huffed in annoyance as she walked backed to her office, having just escorted her client to the elevator in an outward gesture of courtesy but one actually meant to ensure he got the hell out of her sight. He was an entitled, conceited imbecile who had the audacity to call himself a businessman.

She shrugged off her blazer, sinking down into her desk chair and reaching for the cell phone she'd heard vibrate while that condescending moron continued to assault her with his unrestrained stupidity. She clicked it on, flipping her long locks over her shoulder and smiling when she realized who'd sent her a message.

"It's terribly difficult to concentrate on my work when all I can think about is you," it read. Katherine felt her stomach flip, rereading the words to make sure she wasn't just imagining it.

"Well, a good afternoon to you, too, Elijah," she wrote back to him.

It took less than thirty seconds for him to send back a response.

[Elijah: Good afternoon, darling.] They'd graduated into pet names, now?

[Katherine: I thought you said you hated texting.]

[Elijah: Anything aside from seeing you in person is just a poor substitute, but texting will have to make due for now.] She scoffed with a silent laugh at his way with words.

[Katherine: So what was it that I was unwittingly distracting you from?]

[Elijah: A deal with the investors fell through this morning.] Her phone lit up immediately after with a follow-up message.

[Elijah: I have less than 48 hrs. to fix it.]

[Elijah: Have a meeting in 10.]

[Katherine: :( I'm sorry. Anything I can do to help?] His response was instantaneous.

[Elijah: Distract me until then.] Katherine laughed silently. Could this guy be any more adorable?

She glanced up to make sure no one was looking at her through her open office door before responding.

[Katherine: Ok.]

[Katherine: Would you like me to tell you about my day?]

[Elijah: Please] Katherine sat back in her ergonomic chair, crossing her legs and getting comfortable.

[Katherine: Well the good news is I landed a new client today...] She waited for him to respond.

[Elijah: Congratulations, Katherine! You're an extraordinary woman.]

[Katherine: Thank you ;) ]

[Katherine: Bad news is he's like 12 and he's only successful because he inherited daddy's fortune.]

[Elijah: He sounds like a catch.]

[Katherine: Oh he definitely is. Right down to his whiny voice and delusional sense of entitlement.]

[Elijah: That's usually how it goes for people like that.]

She stared at her phone, deciding what what to say next when it lit up again with another message.

[Elijah: I miss you.] Katherine's smile widened. She took slightly longer to respond this time, not wanting to make it so easy for him.

[Katherine: Do you?] She was teasing now. No sooner had she sent the message had she received a response.

[Elijah: Have you a doubt about it?] Her eyes twinkled mischievously.

[Katherine: Maybe…]

[Elijah: Well how about I prove it to you.] Katherine quirked an eyebrow.

[Katherine: And how do you propose to do that?]

[Elijah: Come over Friday night.]

[Elijah: I want to cook you dinner.] Katherine's smile widened, happy. She swiveled around in her chair so her back was to the door.

[Katherine: And you'll prove it to me then?] She couldn't help her response. Teasing was in her blood. She secretly delighted in the vaguely inappropriate undertone and she wished she could see his expression.

His response wasn't so quick this time.

[Elijah: Katherine, I'm certain you'll be the death of me.]

[Katherine: ;) ]

[Elijah: Is that a yes?]

[Katherine: That's a yes :) ] She could almost feel his smile.

[Elijah: I have to attend to the hungry wolves now. I'll call you soon.]

[Elijah: Have a good rest of the day, darling.]

Katherine erased the smile off her face and sighed loudly as she set her cell phone back down on her desk. What the hell was happening to her? Since when did she let a guy affect her this much? If she couldn't get a hold of herself soon, it would be Elijah who would be the death of her, not the other way around.

* * *

As Caroline came to stand beside him in front of the next painting, Klaus heard her let out an involuntary gasp which she quickly masked with a cough. He tried his best to suppress the laughter bubbling in his chest, schooling his features to appear serious.

"It's rather interesting, don't you think?" Klaus asked, raising an eyebrow in her direction. Caroline shot him a stunned look and then cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"Yea...well, it's uh...it's different," she managed, trying her best to remain professional in the face of a massive oil on canvas of a nude couple pleasuring each other. She got flustered all of a sudden, looking at the painting, looking at him, looking at him looking at the painting.

"It's certainly eye-catching." He rubbed his chin in faux concentration, appearing to her to be completely oblivious to her uncomfortable reaction. "I wouldn't go so far as to say a painting of such a sexual nature is avant-garde, but it would certainly get the attention of those frequenting the hotel, wouldn't you agree?"

Caroline cleared her throat again, not catching on to the way Klaus bit the inside of his cheek to keep his mouth from stretching into a grin.

"Uh...yea, I suppose," she answered, "but don't you think it's a bit...uh…" she trailed.

"A bit what, love?" Klaus asked innocently.

"Inappropriate, maybe?" she managed, awkwardly.

"Inappropriate?" he repeated, swiveling his head to look at her. "A piece like this is truly a work of art, Caroline. I hardly thinks that warrants it being labelled inappropriate." He turned back to face the painting. "So, lobby by the mantelpiece?" he asked.

Caroline turned her eyes on him, stunned that he was actually considering this. She was doubting her own judgement and suddenly now she can't remember if she'd ever really had good taste or if she'd just made a few lucky choices.

He graced her with the most devilish angelic face she'd yet seen in her life and the next second her eyes widened and her mouth opened in a shocked gasp and she was slapping Klaus's arm without a second thought. He erupted in a loud laugh that had him turning away to avoid another smack.

"You!" she exclaimed with a formidable point of her finger. "I can't believe I actually thought you were serious!"

Klaus burst into another bout of laughter again, the sight of a scandalized Caroline being too much for him to control. Caroline lowered her hand and placed it on her hip, cocking it to the side in her best attempt to appear affronted.

"Oh come on, Caroline," he breathed out through his laughs, "that was hilarious and you know it."

She was trying her hardest not to give in but the sight of him doubled over in laughter made the corners of her mouth lift up and the small laugh that escaped her was truly beyond her control.

"You suck," she said, before the small chuckle morphed into full-blown laughter.

* * *

There was a quiet afternoon lull in the coffee house they'd chosen to pass the time in until their next gallery appointment. A few patrons were scattered about, each with either a book or laptop to accompany their ordered drinks.

Caroline and Klaus had finished picking the art pieces for the lobby at the first gallery. After Klaus had broken the ice with his teasing, they'd spent the remaining time there in lighthearted conversation and laughs.

All had gone well until the last moment when they were nearly two steps out the door and Andrew Erichson, the owner of the gallery, had mentioned in passing his last encounter with Klaus's mother. Mr. Erichson gushed about the woman, earning only a terse response from Klaus and a swift departure from the gallery, with Caroline trailing after him in confusion.

That was how they both found themselves here, facing each other at a table in this hushed cafe, waiting out the time, with Caroline staring hesitatingly at Klaus as he peered into his ceramic mug with a conflicted look on his face. She'd already asked him once before if he was alright and she was hesitant to ask him again.

Caroline wrapped her palms around her own mug and shifted in her seat uncomfortably. The frown marring his handsome features was too unsettling. The light mood that they'd shared earlier had disappeared and she was unsure of what to say, only knowing that she had to say something to lift the torn look from his face.

"The leaves are starting to fall," she blurted. Klaus looked up at her, confused.

"Autumn's here," she explained. "I didn't even notice until I saw all the leaves falling at Lincoln Park the other day." She laughed, shaking her head. "I mean I know it's gotten colder, but I'm usually able to smell the change in the air before any of the leaves even begin to change color. And I realized I didn't notice fall had come this year because I couldn't smell it," she rambled. She let out a nervous laugh at the curious stare Klaus was giving her. "Fall in Virginia smells different."

Caroline shifted uncomfortably under the weight of his gaze, looking down at the tabletop and fiddling with the napkin to avoid his intense scrutiny until he finally spoke up.

"That's because all you smell in the city is car exhaust and cigarette smoke."

"Mm, two of my favorite smells," Caroline joked. Klaus chuckled, watching her take a long sip from her mug.

"You'll get used to it," he supplied. "Soon enough you'll hardly even notice it anymore."

"Good to know," she smiled.

"So when exactly did you move here?" Klaus inquired, sufficiently distracted from his own internal dilemma.

"Just a little over a month ago."

Klaus raised his eyebrows in surprise and sat back in his chair, draping his arm to rest comfortably on the chair beside him. "One month?" he repeated for verification.

"Yup," Caroline nodded, popping the last syllable with her lips.

"Chicago life must still be very new to you then."

"As new as can be," she agreed, nodding in agreement. She couldn't help notice the way his sole focus was trained on her every time they spoke. It was flattering and unsettling all at the same time.

"You're from Virginia you said?"

"Yea," she nodded. "Mystic Falls, just a little outside of Richmond."

"I've never heard of it," he admitted truthfully. Caroline chuckled.

"Don't worry about it. Most people haven't." She smiled. "It's a small town that people only pass through to get to Richmond." Klaus smirked back.

"I've always wondered what small-town America is like."

"There's not much to wonder about," she countered.

"Oh, come now, love," he chastised, "there must be some charm and attraction to your hometown."

Caroline cocked an eyebrow. "Somehow I don't think Mystic Falls would satisfy your big city expectations," she replied with a small laugh.

Klaus tsked her. "Always so presumptuous, love."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Yea, because Miss Mystic Falls pageants and high school football games are definitely your kind of thing. Of course, what was I thinking," she said sarcastically. Klaus chuckled heartily. If, anything, she'd at least succeeded in pulling him out of the weird funk he'd been in after they'd left the gallery.

"Maybe they are, sweetheart, and I've just never been presented with a sufficient opportunity to have them be my _thing_."

Caroline's head tilted back in laughter. Klaus observed the way her eyes closed shut when she laughed and how she would turn her head slightly to the side, almost as if embarrassed by her outburst of laughter.

"What I really want to know, though, is how did a lovely Southern belle from sleepytown Virginia end up in this crazed city?" he asked with the customary glint in his eye.

Caroline froze for a second, not knowing how to respond. She was so used to everyone knowing the tragedies of her past that she momentarily forgot that this near stranger knew nothing of the pain of her past life. It only took her that quick moment to realize she wasn't obliged to offer up the whole truth.

She quickly recovered, shrugging her shoulders casually. "I just needed a change of pace. 'Sleepytown Virginia' just wasn't for me anymore," she admitted with a slight smile, parroting his phrase back to him. "It was time to move on."

Klaus nodded his head in understanding, observing the way Caroline's forehead creased slightly when she was uncomfortable.

"I am well-acquainted with the feeling," he admitted. She offered him a grateful smile.

"So what brings a London preppie to America's hearty Middle West, anyway?" she asked, turning the conversation back on him. Klaus snorted and leaned forward again so his forearms were resting on the table and his hands were clasped together.

"And what makes you assume I'm a London preppie, sweetheart?" he challenged, curious as to how she'd arrived at that assumption. Caroline shrugged her shoulders casually.

"It's pretty obvious," she responded.

"Tell me, Caroline, do all Americans assume anyone with an English accent is born into a life of privilege and sophistication?"

Caroline dangerously lifted her eyebrow at his condescension. "I wouldn't know, and I certainly could never presume to know what _all_ Americans think about people with English accents," she responded with a mild bite.

"But you think you know me," he countered, undeterred. Caroline crossed her arms.

"I do," she nodded.

"And how could you possible know me?" he asked. Caroline shrugged her shoulders again.

"I had you pegged the moment we started working together," she answered. Klaus frowned.

"That's impossible, sweetheart. I'm not peg-able."

"Oh, but you are," she smirked.

At the disbelieving look in his eyes, Caroline leaned forward, her rested forearms and clasped hands mirroring his, and this time it was her turn to have a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Alright, Klaus Mikaelson. You're from London. That much was obvious from your online biography," she smirked, earning her a glare in response. "And you absolutely refuse to dress yourself in anything but henleys and jeans, like you have a personal vendetta against business suits or something. And judging by those prayer beads strung around your neck," she pointed carelessly with her index finger, "I'm assuming you waited for your first chance to see the world and you took it. And not to those posh destinations you vacationed in as a child, either." She narrowed her eyes in concentration, biting her lip as she thought more about it. "No, it was to faraway places that you thought were where real life is really at."

Klaus had leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. His mouth was dropped slightly open in astonishment. She could have stopped here, but she had more to say.

"You have very limited patience with unnecessary formality, except in certain situations when you can't help your cultivated upbringing, which is so unlike your brother, and which can only mean one thing: while the strict prep school education held strong with your brother, it didn't stick with you, because you made absolutely made sure of it." Her smirk widened.

"See? A London preppie," she concluded confidently, the sound of finality in her voice.

A silence settled over the pair. Klaus was looking at her with a mixture of bewilderment and disbelief. Caroline bit her lip to keep herself from laughing at the stupefied look on his face.

A giggle finally escaped her, much to Klaus's chagrin. He continued to glare at her, very much looking like a pouting child with his arms crossed.

"What?" she asked innocently. She rolled her eyes at his lack of response. "Just admit it," she urged, still laughing. "I'm right."

"No, and we're late," he said, standing up from the table. Caroline stood up, grabbing her purse, and followed after him out onto the sidewalk, her laughter subsiding as she briefly worried if she'd gone too far. But before she could worry herself too much, Klaus stopped his march and turned to her with a smile he seemed to be trying hard to suppress. He leaned in close to her, locking eyes with hers.

"Since you clearly seem to know me so well, sweetheart, can we officially rule out your ludicrous idea of me being a serial killer?" he asked.

Caroline laughed in surprise, and with a shake of her head, responded, "I'm afraid I haven't been properly convinced yet." Caroline raised an eyebrow. "You could be the real American Psycho for all I know."

Klaus shook his head to the sky in mock frustration. "I am working with the most impossible woman on Earth," he exclaimed.

"Come on," she laughed, shoving him gently. "We're going to be late."


	9. Chapter 7 PART II: A Real Work of Art

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

_So here's Part II. It's probably my least impressive chapter thus far, but it was never meant to stand on its own. It's just a continuation of my previous post. I hope you enjoy it anyway! Also, make sure to check out my new Klaroline one-shot called "Size Me Up." Leave me comments and tell me what you think!_

* * *

**Chapter 7: A Real Work of Art**

**Part II**

It had been a short walk to the gallery from the cafe during which Caroline had walked alongside Klaus while he had been engaged in a pressing phone call. When they'd arrived up to the short steps in front of the art gallery, Klaus turned to Caroline as if just remembering something.

"I completely forgot to warn you, love," he said, apologetically. "Alain only speaks French, but I'll try as best as I can to translate." Apparently in her haste, Francesca had forgotten to tell Klaus that Caroline was quite familiar with the artist's native tongue.

"That's no problem," she smiled, not bothering to correct his mistake. He nodded back and turned to open the door.

The door chime sounded as they both stepped into the gallery. They were greeted by the sight of a stout woman, the gallery owner by the looks of it, and another, taller middle-aged gentlemen.

"Alain!" immediately greeted Klaus, stepping forward to embrace the man in a customary European greeting.

"Niklaus! Je n'en crois pas mes yeux!" the gentleman teased, spreading his arms to embrace Klaus. Clearly, this was not the first time they were meeting.

"Ça fait un bail," agreed Klaus, laughing. The woman had come forward now, introducing herself as the gallery owner and shaking hands with both her and Klaus. She had a garish look about her, what with her big hair and the jumble of colored cloth draped all around her in a shapeless costume, yet Caroline found her polite demeanor to be quite in contrast to her outward appearance.

Klaus immediately turned to Caroline and gestured for her to come closer.

"Caroline, this is the magnificent artist and my dear friend, Alain Perrault," he explained to her. He indicated in French who she was to Alain and they both shook hands with each other politely.

"Enchante," Alain greeted, pleasantly. Caroline noted the slenderness of his artist's fingers squeezed firmly around hers. He was graying at the temples and the rest of it was pulled back in a ponytail at the nape of his neck in a way only Europeans seemed able to pull off.

"C'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer, Monsieur Perrault," Caroline smiled. Her accent was flawless thanks to the hours on end she'd spent abroad perfecting her overpowering American accent, but she knew a deeper conversation with the man would soon reveal her idiomatic inadequacies. Basic pleasantries under the deceiving guise of fluency would have to suffice for now. "Je suis impatient de voir votre travail."

Caroline registered the look of surprise on Klaus's face from the corner of her eye, but it was only Alain who voiced his shock.

"Ouah! Mademoiselle Caroline, vous parlez Francais?" he asked, surprised. She nodded her head.

"Je ai étudié en France quand je suis à l'université," she responded. When he inquired as to where she'd studied, she answered that she'd been a student at the Université de Lyon in Lyon, France. Alain was pleasantly surprised by this information, informing the pair that his parents had been from Lyon before they'd relocated to Paris before he was born on account of his father's job. He himself had visited many times over the years to see family and enjoy the city, insisting that it had a lot of hidden charm and what a shame it was that Paris alone received all of the fame and recognition.

Caroline agreed. She had travelled all over France, and Lyon remained her favorite city. He asked her what her favorite place in the city was and she'd blushed, embarrassed to reveal the answer because she thought it was much too cliche to admit aloud in public. When he insisted, she had no choice but to reveal the truth.

"La grande roue de la Place Bellecour," she admitted with an embarrassed smile. She explained that the ferris wheel situated in the heart of the town's square offered the best and most beautiful view of the city. Caroline laughed, reminiscing about how the pair at the ticket booth had grown so accustomed to seeing her for the short few months that the ferris wheel was in operation that they'd finally allowed her to keep the plastic green ticket meant to be handed back to the machine operator. Her embarrassing story was followed by laughter from Alain and Klaus, though a pensive look had soon returned into the latter's eyes.

When Alain eventually excused himself to allow the pair some privacy in observing his work, Klaus turned to Caroline with a ponderous gaze.

"Why didn't you tell me you spoke perfect French?" he asked.

"You never asked," she responded. She shrugged casually, moving away from his side and walking leisurely over to the first line of paintings. She clasped her hands behind her back and pretended to study the painting before her until she felt his presence next to her and the quiet rumble of his laugh.

"You surprise me very much, Caroline," he admitted in a low voice that instantly tugged at the jumbled knot in her stomach. The way he'd said it, the way he was looking at her now, like he'd just stumbled across the most exquisite piece of art in a whole gallery filled with it, was escaping her comprehension and she was too frightened to make any sense of it.

He turned his head back to the painting with a small smile that she wanted nothing more than to kiss off his lips or slap away with the back of her hand, but she had no choice but to look away from him and look, instead, to the art on the wall.

Elijah's cell phone buzzed noisily to life atop a stack of files. He turned away from the paperwork on his desk to glance at the screen, confused when he read the name of the caller. He clicked to answer the phone.

"Rebekah? What are you still doing up so late?" he asked, glancing up at the grandfather clock that hung in his study. It was evening time in Chicago, meaning it was already well into the early morning hours in London.

"I couldn't sleep. I've been tossing and turning all night," she sighed. She'd slipped out of bed earlier, not wanting to wake Stefan up with her phone call. "What are you doing? Am I disturbing you?"

"No, I was just working on some paperwork."

"You're still at the office at this hour?" she exclaimed.

"No, no," he answered. "I'm in my study at home. I have a big conference meeting with some investors tomorrow and I wanted to review the numbers again." Elijah rubbed a hand over his face where his five o'clock shadow had already come in. "What's keeping you up, Rebekah?"

Rebekah sighed again. "The most distressing thoughts, big brother," she admitted. Alarmed, Elijah set his pen down and sat up straighter in his chair.

"What's the matter, Rebekah? What's happened?" he grilled, suddenly concerned. Rebekah stayed quiet. "Rebekah," he urged.

"I've discovered something."

"What is it?" he asked again. Rebekah paused for a beat before answering.

"I've been avoiding telling you because I didn't want to worry you for no reason, but I just couldn't keep it to myself any longer." Elijah could hear the frown in her voice. "It's been eating away at me for the past few days and I just don't know what to make of it."

"What is it, Rebekah?" Elijah braced himself. He heard Rebekah take a deep breath before beginning with her story.

"A few days ago, I accompanied Mother to the doctor's office for a routine checkup. Father usually insists on going with her to those sorts of things but he had come down with a bit of a cold that morning and I didn't want her go alone, so I went with her," she explained.

"When the checkup was nearly over, I received a call from Stefan, so I stepped out of the room and walked down the hall to speak with him. Well, when I walked back towards the room, I could see that another doctor was in there with her. Her doctor is a woman and this doctor was male. But when I got closer, I saw that it was Dr. Davies. Do you remember Dr. Davies, Elijah? Our pediatrician from when we were all younger. He was close friends with the family, do you remember?" Elijah replied that he did.

"Well, I know he works in the same clinic and I thought maybe he'd just stopped in to say hello. But when I stood outside the door, I could hear them speaking quietly to each other. And I know I shouldn't have, but I tried to listen in. I thought it so strange that they were speaking like that, as if they were exchanging secrets or something. I thought, what on earth could they possibly have to whisper about?"

"Did you hear anything?" Elijah interrupted. Rebekah sighed again, another display of her troubled nerves.

"I only caught the tail end of the conversation, but I could hear Mother telling Dr. Davies that she doesn't want us finding out about something. Of what that something is, I couldn't decipher, but she said that it would destroy the family." Rebekah didn't speak for a few seconds, letting the weight of her words fully sink in. "When I eventually walked into the room, they both acted suspiciously and pretended as if nothing had happened."

They both stayed quiet, too lost in their own thoughts to form any coherent explanations. All that could be heard through the phone line was the faint sound of each other's breathing. Elijah idly used his index finger to spin the pen laying on his desk around in half-hearted circles. Finally, it was Rebekah who broke the heavy silence.

"What do you think she means, Elijah?" There was a hint of desperation in her voice.

"I don't know," Elijah confessed softly.

"Elijah, I'm afraid Mother is sick," Rebekah admitted in a rush of words. "What other possible explanation could there be?" Elijah gripped the pen tightly in his fist.

"That wouldn't make any sense, though," he rationalized. His mind buzzed with all the reasons that explanation was incorrect. "Why would she allow you to come with her to the checkup if she didn't want you finding out she was sick? And wouldn't her doctor have said something during the checkup if something was wrong with her? Plus why would she be speaking to Dr. Davies about it and not her actual doctor?" His mother wasn't sick, she couldn't be.

"It was just a basic checkup," Rebekah replied. "Maybe she'd instructed her doctor not to say anything in front of me. And maybe she was speaking to Dr. Davies about it because she knows he'd never say a word."

"That still doesn't make sense," he insisted. "Her actual doctor would have to know about such an illness and there's no way they wouldn't address it during the checkup if she were actually sick."

"I don't know!" Rebekah exclaimed, exasperated. "It's the only explanation that seemed like it could fit. What on earth is she keeping from us that could destroy us?"

"Rebekah, I don't think it's wise to jump to any hasty conclusions. Mother would tell us if anything were truly wrong." He wanted badly to believe the words he was saying.

"Elijah, I see her nearly everyday. Why would she keep a secret like this from me? I don't understand." The age-old insecurity of not being worthy enough of her mother's confidence roared back to life.

"Have you talked to her about it yet?" he asked, though he already anticipated the answer.

"No, I wouldn't know what to say and somehow I know she wouldn't give me an answer even if I tried." She sighed dejectedly.

"Rebekah—"

"Look," she interrupted her eldest brother, "I didn't mean to burden you with all of this, but I thought you should be the first to know. I have a feeling it's something big, and I really don't think she was exaggerating. I saw the way she looked on our way home that day. I'd never seen her look that frightened before. It was like she knew something terrible is going to happen. I don't know what she's keeping from us, but all I know is that it can't be anything good." They fell into another tense silence. Whereas Elijah would usually offer words of comfort to ease his little sister's troubles, he now found himself void of any such platitudes. Anything offered at this point would only be insincere.

"You should get some sleep, Rebekah," he eventually said. "We can talk about it more tomorrow."

"Alright," she sighed.

"Thank you for telling me, Rebekah," he said. She hummed in response. "And Rebekah," he said, "don't mention this to anyone else." The implication was clear in his words: Klaus.

"I won't, brother," she promised. "I'll let you go, then. Good luck tomorrow."

"Thank you."

"Good night, Elijah."

"Good night, 'Bekah," he responded softly.

Rebekah ended the call with the same feelings of anxiety and distress as before she'd dialed her brother's number. Elijah was usually the one to calm her nerves, especially during her frequent tendency to overreact. He would appeal to logic, sorting through issues that had previously thrown her into a state of turmoil, making her see the absurdity in her distress and leaving her wondering why she hadn't come up with those solutions herself in the first place.

But this time was different. He had barely offered her any words of consolation and he had hardly even tried to suggest another plausible explanation as to their mother's confusing behavior. Rebekah knew him well enough to know he was already fashioning a thousand other explanations in his head, spinning them around in dizzy circles until at least one of them made sense. Whatever the true explanation turned out to be, Rebekah only hoped her mother's prediction of an impending disaster would prove untrue.

* * *

French translations:

"Pleasure."

"Pleased to meet you."

"I'm eager to see your work."

"Wow! Miss Caroline, you speak French?"

"I studied in France while I was at university."

"The ferris wheel at La Place Bellecour."


End file.
